Advances in Theranostic Radiopharmaceuticals

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past decade, the field of theranostic radiopharmaceuticals has rapidly expanded to take centre stage in the field of precision medicine. This paradigm has been proven successful and is currently being expanded beyond traditional targets to include new mechanisms, radionuclides, and delivery systems that are being applied in the field of Nuclear Medicine for the first time.

Recent advances in radiochemistry, isotope production, and biology have enabled the translation of increasingly sophisticated radiopharmaceuticals from bench to bedside. The field of targeted alpha therapy has shown substantial growth. Established beta-minus emitters such as lutetium-177 and yttrium-90 have steadily increased, and newer dual-mechanism radionuclides such as lead-212 and terbium-161 are the newer options in the therapeutic toolbox. These novel therapies go hand-in-hand with advances on the diagnostic side, with implementation of staple radionuclides such as technetium-99m, gallium-68, and fluorine-18, but also some more exotic options being investigated. At the same time, quantitative imaging, dosimetry, and radiobiology-based modelling are refining our understanding of therapeutic efficacy and safety.

This Special Issue of Pharmaceuticals invites original research papers and comprehensive reviews that highlight innovation in the field of radiotheranostics as well as ongoing challenges. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) novel radionuclide production methods, advances in radiolabelling methods, new target discovery, and novel radiopharmaceutical development, including in vivo evaluations, clinical translation of novel diagnostic or theranostic radiopharmaceuticals, and investigations of the radiobiology governing theranostic applications. The hope is that this issue will contain contributions that showcase the state-of-the-art and inspire and inform the next generation of radiopharmaceutical innovation.

Dr. Janke Kleynhans
Guest Editor

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