UCLA launches ‘first of its kind’ new standalone Department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics
The University of California, Los Angeles, on Tuesday announced the launch of a “first of its kind” new Department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics.
UCLA leaders said the department will work to integrate advanced imaging and therapy, accelerate scientific discovery and bolster precision health. Plans include expanding UCLA’s theranostic programs, developing new educational pathways and strengthening research partnerships.
“Nuclear medicine is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by advances in imaging technology and the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals that allow us to visualize and treat disease with unprecedented precision,” Johannes Czernin, MD, who has been appointed acting chair of the department, said in a Nov. 18 announcement. “Becoming an independent department elevates this work and strengthens UCLA’s role in shaping the future of precision health.”
UCLA’s Department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics will include dedicated clinics, a “state of the art” outpatient theranostics (therapy + diagnostics) program, and a biomedical cyclotron and radiochemistry operators. It also will run preclinical research labs and a large clinical research group with its own dedicated coordinators.
Back in 2018, Jeremie Calais, MD, PhD, director of the department’s clinical research program, joined a team at the University of California, San Francisco, to test a new imaging technique for diagnosing prostate cancer. Their research showed that PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen) PET detected “significantly more” prostate lesions than conventional imaging. By 2020, the U.S. Food and Administration approved the test for men with prostate cancer, with its utilization growing rapidly across radiology since then.
Calais also helped lead a phase 2 clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of Pluvicto, a radiopharmaceutical therapy for prostate cancer. It was later licensed by Novartis and greenlit by the FDA, with approved indications expanding significantly since then. UCLA hopes the new department can help it continue to propel such breakthroughs “from the laboratory to the clinic.” Along with physicians, the department will employ technologists, nurses, grad students, postdoctoral scholars, research associates, project scientists and others, with its official launch slated for Jan. 1.
“As we move into this next chapter, I am inspired by the collaborative spirit of our teams and the extraordinary potential of this science,” Czernin said in the announcement. “Together, we are building a future in which imaging and therapy converge to offer more precise and more personal care for every patient.”
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.