SHERIDAN, WYOMING – November 06, 2024 – In a groundbreaking move towards personalized cancer care, GE HealthCare announced yesterday its collaboration with University Medicine Essen (UME) to establish a cutting-edge Theranostics Center of Excellence. This partnership aims to transform cancer treatment by leveraging advanced technologies, innovative tracers, and artificial intelligence to provide patients with tailored therapies and improved outcomes.
Theranostics, a rapidly evolving field in medicine, combines precise diagnostic tools with targeted therapies. This approach allows clinicians to identify and treat cancer with unprecedented accuracy, offering new hope for patients and their families.
"Theranostics has revolutionized the way we approach patient care by combining targeted therapy with precise diagnostic tools, offering a personalized treatment strategy,” said Dr. Ken Herrmann, director and chair, scientific advisory board at the Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, University Medicine Essen. “This growing practice allows us to deliver treatments that are tailored to each patient's specific condition.”
A Hub of Innovation and Collaboration
The new Theranostics Center of Excellence at UME will be equipped with GE HealthCare's latest imaging and diagnostic technologies, including PET/CT, PET/MR, and SPECT/CT systems. These advanced tools will provide clinicians with detailed insights into each patient's unique disease state, enabling them to make more informed treatment decisions.
Beyond technology, the center will focus on:
*Expanding access to radioisotopes: GE HealthCare will outfit UME's new tracer development center with a comprehensive suite of radiopharmacy solutions, ensuring a steady and cost-effective supply of diagnostic tracers.
*Enhancing clinical workflows: Digital and AI solutions will be integrated into the center's operations to improve diagnosis quality, streamline radiology workflows, and enhance the overall patient experience.
*Pioneering research: Both institutions will collaborate on research activities, including the development of GE HealthCare's total body PET/CT technology, which promises to further revolutionize cancer diagnosis and treatment.
"Building a therapeutics program requires access to highly sophisticated equipment,” added Dr. Herrmann. “Visualization of disease and treatment efficacy is made possible by molecular imaging techniques – such as PET and SPECT – and enhanced by digital and AI solutions, which work together to aid our clinicians in staging disease as well as provide ongoing assessments and characterizations of disease over time. The more advanced the imaging solution, the more information we have to better care for our patients."
**Shaping the Future of Personalized Medicine**
The collaboration between GE HealthCare and UME extends beyond the establishment of the center. Both organizations are committed to advancing the field of Theranostics through ongoing research and development.
"Access to comprehensive imaging is crucial in healthcare, significantly impacting decision-making and patient outcomes," stated Jean-Luc Procaccini, President & CEO, Molecular Imaging and Computed Tomography, GE HealthCare. "That’s why we are thrilled to collaborate with University Medicine Essen to explore the potential of a new, innovative long axial field of view PET/CT technology. Designed for exceptionally high image quality at ultra-low doses, this technology aims to enable the investigation of new clinical pathways in oncology, combining cutting-edge research with the demands of a busy daily routine."
This commitment to innovation is exemplified by their joint efforts to develop AI models that can predict patient responses to immunotherapies. These models have shown promising results in predicting treatment efficacy and the likelihood of adverse events, potentially paving the way for even more personalized and effective cancer care.
A Shared Vision for Patient-Centric Care
The collaboration between GE HealthCare and UME represents a significant step forward in the fight against cancer. By combining their expertise and resources, these institutions are driving a paradigm shift in oncology, moving away from traditional one-size-fits-all treatments towards a future where care is personalized, precise, and patient-centric.
"Looking at all our current and future needs, we believe the unique technology direction that GE HealthCare has chosen for their total body PET/CT will help us fulfill our ambition,” said Dr. Wolfgang Fendler, Vice Chair at the Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, University Medicine Essen. “We are excited to collaborate once again with GE HealthCare and other leading global health institutions and be one of the first to adopt this technology.”