Covered by Dagens Medisin: New research and development project in radiopharmacy granted NOK 15 million by RADFORSK

RADFORSK investeringsstiftelse has granted NOK 15 million for a new research and development project in targeted and personalized radiopharmacy, TARACAN.

TARACAN is an acronym for "TArgeted RAdionuclide Therapy (TRT) for CANcer". The project will take place at the Division of Cancer Medicine, the Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine and the Division of Technology and Innovation at Oslo University Hospital.

Norway has a long and proud tradition in both research and development of radiopharmaceutical products. For example, Xofigo for the treatment of skeletal metastases in men with advanced prostate cancer was developed by Algeta and it is now marketed by Bayer.

The goal of TARACAN is to optimize TRT by studying radiopharmaceuticals that are already under development in Norway, as well as to construct and evaluate the potential of new candidates. These are the reasons why Radforsk is helping to support the project.

The project will also stimulate interactions between researchers and promote transfer of research results to clinicians and industry in Norway. It is expected that new and patentable discoveries will result from this investment.

The project will be led by the research group leader Asta Juzeniene at the Institute for Cancer Research at the Division of Cancer Medicine. In addition, the clinicians Øyvind Bruland from the Division of Cancer Medicine and Mona Elisabeth Revheim from the Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine and the Division of Technology and Innovation will participate in the project.

The project has gained attention through a report in the popular medical newspaper "Dagens Medisin".

 
Links:

The Dagens Medisin article:
15 millioner til forskningsprosjekt: - Bare starten på et kjempestort kapittel innen kreftbehandling (10.03.2023)

Asta Juzeniene - head of the Targeted alpha therapy research group at the Institute for Cancer Research

Øyvind S. Bruland - member of the Clinical Sarcoma Research Group

Mona Elisabeth Revheim - head of the Functional and Molecular Imaging and Therapy research group