MHELTHERA: Targeted Molecular Radio-Immuno-Theranostics in Cancer and Beyond—in Honor of Prof. Dr. Otmar Dieter Wiestler

Dear Colleagues,

In 2021, the Helmholtz International Lab (HIL) MHELTHERA (Monash-Helmholtz Laboratory for Radio-Immuno-Theranostics) was founded, continuing the long-standing cooperation between Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) and the Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR, Dresden, Germany). It is funded by the Initiative and Networking Fund administered by the President, Prof. Dr. Otmar D. Wiestler (until November 2025), of the Helmholtz Association. The main task of the Monash-Helmholtz Laboratory for Radio-Immuno-Theranostics (MHELTHERA) project is the development of novel radio-immuno-theranostics for molecular imaging (diagnosis) and treatment of diseases, including cancer and heart and infectious diseases, using radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or combinations of both. For this purpose, novel radio-immuno-theranostics for targeting tissues, expressing the protease fibroblast activating protein (FAP), will be established. The novel targeting modules (TMs) will be constructed bio-/chemically from either (recombinant) antibodies or small molecules. The TMs will be modified with (novel) chelators and radiolabeled with a variety of either diagnostic, therapeutic, or theranostic radionuclides or suitable theranostic radionuclide pairs. By depending on the respective radionuclide, imaging will be performed using Positron Emission Tomography (PET, e.g., copper) or Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT, e.g., technetium). The application of TMs labeled with therapeutic radionuclides (e.g., lutetium, bismuth and actinium) will be analyzed in vitro and in vivo either alone or in combination with immunotherapy, including for redirecting T cells with bispecific antibodies or after genetic modification with switchable chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Their efficacy and potential risks of side effects (e.g., cytokine release syndrome (CRS)) will thereby be estimated at the molecular level in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the pharmacology, especially the pharmacokinetic properties, of the TMs might be optimal for either imaging or radio- or immunotherapy. Thus, for the multimodal application of the same TM, its pharmacology has to be adapted for the respective application. For this purpose, the TMs will be conjugated to nanomaterials (e.g., bismuth or gold nanoparticles) either directly or modified to enable the formation of modular complexes whereby not only the molecular weight but also the valence and the avidity of the TMs can be modulated.

This Special Issue is intended to summarize the research findings that have emerged directly from the MHELTHERA project, as well as research findings resulting from research in the field of radio-immuno-theranostics conducted by MHELTHERA’s external research partners.

Prof. Dr. Michael Philipp Bachmann
Dr. Holger Stephan
Guest Editors

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As stated above, the central purpose of this Special Issue is to present research from the MHELTHERA project. Given this purpose, the Guest Editors’ contribution to this Special Issue may be greater than that of standard Special Issues published by MDPI. Further details on MDPI's Special Issue guidelines can be found here: https://www.mdpi.com/special_issues_guidelines. The Editorial Office and Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Molecular Sciences have approved this and MDPI’s standard manuscript editorial processing procedure (https://www.mdpi.com/editorial_process) will be applied to all submissions. As per our standard procedure, Guest Editors are excluded from participating in the editorial process for their submission and/or for submissions from persons with whom a potential conflict of interest may exist. More details on MDPI’s Conflict of Interest policy for reviewers and editors can be found here: https://www.mdpi.com/ethics#_bookmark22.