Advancing cancer therapy with next-gen radionuclides

Nuclear medicine uses radionuclides for imaging and therapeutic purposes. These unstable nuclei decay by emitting radiation, which will damage or destroy the cancer cells. Over the past decade, the "theranostic" approach has emerged, combining imaging and therapy to tailor treatment to the individual patient.

Two products have already received marketing authorisations in many countries for the treatment of neuroendocrine and prostate cancer. However, many other radiopharmaceuticals are in development, although having access to the proper radionuclides during the early stages of biomedical research remains challenging.

The main objective of PRISMAP - the European medical radionuclides programme, coordinated by CERN - was therefore to provide access to novel, high-purity radionuclides, facilitating the research phase for targeted medical treatments.

"By connecting eight radionuclide production facilities and five biomedical research centres across Europe, the project has undoubtedly stimulated research into cancer treatment," explained Thierry Stora, Head of the CERN-MEDICIS facility and PRISMAP coordinator.

Over the past five years, PRISMAP has supported 47 medical research projects in 19 countries. A total of 159 batches of 23 different radionuclides were delivered to biomedical laboratories, as shown in the chart below. Beyond supplying radionuclides, PRISMAP also offered the possibility to conduct research projects at its five biomedical facilities for research teams requiring specialised equipment or authorisations.

CERN-MEDICIS has supplied numerous alpha-emitting radionuclides, one of the most promising avenues for curing cancer. Alpha particles (helium ions made up of two protons and two neutrons) target cancer cells with more precision, sparing healthy tissue, and are more efficient at destroying micro-metastases, one of oncology's greatest challenges.

CERN-MEDICIS is the only facility in the world dedicated to producing radionuclides by mass separation for biomedical research, resulting in the production of highly pure nuclides. By integrating radionuclides produced in traditional cyclotrons and nuclear reactors with CERN-MEDICIS's mass separation, the programme delivered innovative radionuclides.

One notable example is the combination of two isotopes of lead - one (Pb-203) from the ARRONAX nuclear reactor in Nantes (France) and the other (Pb-212) from CERN-MEDICIS - delivered to Dresden Hospital for research on diagnostics and treatment for prostate cancer. "The PRISMAP project was instrumental in developing this highly innovative theranostic approach," said Thierry Stora. "The initial results recently published are very encouraging."

The PRISMAP project ended on 31 December 2025. Based on its encouraging results, a funding request for a three-year follow-up project, PRISMAP+, has been submitted in order to continue and further strengthen the network.