Brazilian CancerThera Delegation Visits Uruguay's CUDIM to Advance Theranostics Cooperation in Oncology

Following the institutional partnership established between CEPID CancerThera and the Uruguayan Center for Molecular Imaging (CUDIM) in February this year, a Brazilian delegation visited Montevideo, Uruguay, from July 27 to 29 to advance the transformation of the memorandum of understanding into a concrete work plan. The visit focused on multicenter clinical trials, preclinical research, theranostics in oncology, and educational cooperation.

During the visit, Brazilian researchers held working meetings with the CUDIM team, covering multiple aspects of oncology research development. CUDIM was represented by its General Director Alarico Rodriguez, as well as radiopharmacist and Technical Director of Radiopharmacy, Dr. Eduardo Osvaldo Savio Quevedo, who hosted and participated in the discussions. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on quality and safety procedures in the preclinical and clinical evaluation of radiopharmaceuticals, as well as infrastructure related to molecular imaging and advanced diagnostic testing.

Dr. Carmen·Silvia·Passos·Lima, Professor of Oncology and Hematology at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) School of Medical Sciences and Principal Investigator and Coordinator of the Innovation Area at CancerThera, noted that CUDIM has significant experience in the quality and safety of preclinical and clinical evaluation of radiopharmaceuticals. She believes that the knowledge gained during this visit, particularly regarding detection and procedural quality assessment, is directly relevant to CancerThera's research efforts.

In their joint work, the two sides also discussed improvements to tumor-targeting radiopharmaceuticals and the application of new molecular imaging approaches. Dr. Leonardo·Lima·Fuscaldi, radiopharmaceutical scientist, Associate Researcher at CancerThera, and Professor at the Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, stated that collaborative work among different research teams helps accelerate knowledge advancement. These radiopharmaceuticals can be used to more precisely locate and/or treat tumors, with the potential to optimize molecular imaging diagnostics in the future and make radionuclide therapy more tailored to individual patient characteristics.

The visit also further expanded cooperation between the two sides in talent development and academic exchange. Dr. Maria Elvira Pizzigatti Correa, Postdoctoral Researcher in Senior Research Management at CancerThera, noted that inter-institutional collaboration helps improve the research and teaching cycle under the theranostics model, promoting graduate student exchanges and cooperation in knowledge dissemination programs.

According to the arrangements made by both sides, CancerThera graduate students and researchers will visit CUDIM for customized exchange programs, and CUDIM researchers have already begun participating in the supervision of graduate students in the Oncology Graduate Program at the Unicamp School of Medical Sciences. The two sides also plan to jointly organize an international conference on theranostics in oncology to be held at Unicamp next year. The preclinical and clinical project proposals submitted by the Brazilian delegation during the visit also received positive responses from the Uruguayan team.