Mitigating Unintended, Long-Term Side Effects of Targeted Alpha Therapy

Principal Investigator: Jonathan Engle, associate professor of medical physics and affiliate Department of Radiology

Co-Principal Investigator: Reinier Hernandez, assistant professor of medical physics and affiliate Department of Radiology

The University of Wisconsin Cyclotron and Hernandez Labs are globally recognized for developing new techniques to produce tracers for nuclear medicine imaging and to assess the efficacy of promising new cancer treatments like radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT).

RPT that relies on alpha particle-emitting drugs targeted to cancer has demonstrated curative potential for late-stage disease in patients across the globe. This Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) is principally limited by the redistribution of radioactive decay daughter products of the element bismuth to healthy tissues after the primary dose is delivered. This project combines pharmacological targeting (Hernandez) and radiotracer production expertise (Engle) to create imaging agents that enable the study of the mechanism of radioactive bismuth redistribution after TAT and its remediation. These techniques will be used to improve new and existing TAT therapies, enabling their clinical translation.