Development of a mobile SPECT/CT unit to enhance access to prostate cancer diagnosis and support research on PSMA radioligands

• Grant number: 25/25158-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Nuclear Engineering - Applications of Radioisotopes
• Principal Investigator: Wilson Aparecido Parejo Calvo
• Grantee: Marcelo Coimbra de Sá
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/07065-4 - Multicenter program using PSMA radioligants for the diagnosis and therapy of patients with prostate cancer, AP.NPOP

Abstract

In recent decades, prostate cancer incidence rates have risen significantly, underscoring the urgent need for advances in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. More recently, research efforts have increasingly focused on the development of radioligands targeting PSMA, a molecule highly expressed in prostate tumor cells, with the aim of enabling more accurate diagnoses and effective therapies. Although PET/CT imaging systems provide high accuracy, their use remains limited in many regions due to their high cost and the short half-life of positron-emitting radionuclides. By contrast, SPECT/CT imaging systems, more affordable and widely available across nuclear medicine services in Brazil, represent a more feasible alternative for both diagnosis and monitoring the patient during treatment. The radionuclide technetium-99m (99mTc), a gamma emitter employed in SPECT/CT imaging, is used in approximately 80% of nuclear medicine procedures owing to its lower cost, greater availability, and longer half-life.Against this background, the present study proposes the development of the first mobile nuclear medicine unit in Brazil, equipped with hybrid SPECT/CT imaging technology. The purpose of this mobile unit is to support research on PSMA-targeted radioligands, facilitate the monitoring of patients undergoing treatment with 177Lu-PSMA, and foster the domestic development of PSMA ligands labeled with 99mTc. Ultimately, this initiative seeks to expand access to early diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in remote regions, thereby contributing to the universalization of oncological care in the country.Keywords: SPECT/CT, mobile unit, nuclear medicine, prostate cancer, PSMA radioligands, theranostics.