Research

Over 90 years ago, the Hungarian physicist George de Hevesy developed a method using radioactivity to analyze and trace biological processes. This method marked a scientific breakthrough, enabling the study of biological processes in living organisms. Today, the use of radioactive tracers continues to provide valuable insights into normal physiology and disease states.

Introduction of a radioactive atom into a molecule in a biochemical process makes it possible to monitor and measure that process within a living organism. Depending on the type of radioactivity, various detector/scanner systems can be used to image (measure) the emitted radiation. The most common scanners are SPECT and PET, which stand for “Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography” and “Positron Emission Tomography,” respectively. These highly sensitive detectors can locate the radiation within a living organism and quantify a specific physiological process. Molecular imaging offers valuable information about disease state and normal conditions in living organisms and can serve as a valuable diagnostic tool.

In general, for molecular imaging of physiological processes, it is possible to develop radioactive tracers from any type of chemical building block that the body needs to build cells and tissues. Alternatively, hormones, drugs or other substances that physiologically affect the body can be used. To be able to measure, or image, the physiological processes going on in our body, the molecule must be labeled with a radioactive isotope (variant of an element) that emits radiation to be detected and reconstructed into an image. Such radioactive atoms can be, for instance, isotopes of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and fluorine. In principle, most molecules can be radiolabeled without their function in biological processes.

Deeper knowledge about an organism’s physiology, combined with a matching radioactive tracer and highly sensitive scanners for molecular imaging, provides unique opportunities for biological and medical research. After injecting less than a billionth of a gram of such a substance, precise measurements can be made, you can track its journey through the body and measure exactly how much is absorbed in any small part of the body. This information can reveal details about normal or abnormal biochemical processes. The amount of radioactivity used in such studies is so low that the radiation dose is roughly equivalent to that of a large X-ray examination.

The same principles behind the use of radioactive tracers for molecular imaging and diagnostics with gamma emitters, can also be applied to target and kill unwanted cells, such as cancer cells. Radiation from atoms that emit alpha or beta particles affects cells differently. Alpha and beta particles deposit high energy over very short distances, primarily within a few cell diameters, delivering a focused radiation dose that can effectively kill nearby cells. If a tracer can identify and locate cancer cells with PET or SPECT, the radioactive atom used for imaging can be replaced with a therapeutic radioactive atom. This combined diagnostic and therapeutic approach is known as “theranostics” and represents a rapidly growing field in radiopharmaceutical research and clinical applications.

Research at NMS

Since its opening in 2006, the Norwegian Medical Cyclotron Center (NMS) has established an independent research department equipped with specialized laboratories and expertise in the multidisciplinary field of radiopharmaceutical research and development. This includes facilities for producing radioactivity, conducting chemical work with various levels of radiation protection, and preclinical labs for characterizing radioactive tracers in cells and animal models. Our specialized research team includes experts in pharmaceutical and veterinary science, radiochemistry, nuclear chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and medical physics.

We are engaged in research projects such as nuclear technology, aimed at improving the availability of essential radionuclides, to radiochemistry for developing and producing new tracers, automation of chemical processes for scaling up production, and the characterization and comparison of novel drug candidates in preclinical models. We collaborate with the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital on projects related to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, neurological, and cardiovascular diseases.