On the possibilities of using the achievements of modern nuclear medicine in an international circle
11.06.2025
An international conference entitled Nuclear Medicine – from Molecular Imaging to Clinical Applications, organised by the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the MUG on the initiative of the head of the department, Dr. Habil. Wojciech Cytawa took place in the Prof. Zdzisław Kieturakis Auditorium on May 30. The event was supported by the Office of the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” Program. On behalf of Prof. Michał Markuszewski, Rector of the MUG, the invited lecturers and participants were welcomed by Dr. Habil. Michał Hoffmann, Assoc. Prof., Vice-rector for clinical affairs. The conference was attended by a total of more than 90 participants, including many scientists and students from Tricity universities.
International experts from Poland and abroad were invited to the conference to share with the participants their extensive experience of both preclinical research and clinical application of radiopharmaceuticals in the diagnosis and therapy of many conditions, especially oncological, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
After a brief historical overview of molecular imaging by Jacek Teodorczyk, Ph.D. from the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the MUG, a lecture was given by* Prof. Takahiro Higuchi* from the University of Würzburg (Germany), a world-renowned expert in molecular imaging of the heart muscle. Prof Higuchi’s discoveries led to the registration of a breakthrough radiopharmaceutical (18F-flurpiridase) for assessing myocardial perfusion by the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2024.
In his lecture, Prof. Gabriela Kramer-Marek from the Institute of Cancer Research in London and NIO Gliwice spoke about the latest methods for imaging breast cancer and glioblastoma multiforme utilizing isotope-labelled affibody molecules. In the session on neuroimaging, Prof. Grzegorz Węgrzyn from the University of Gdańsk, the discoverer of a novel method of treating neurodegenerative diseases using autophagy stimulation, talked about animal models of nervous system diseases. In turn, Bogna Brockhuis, Ph.D. assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the MUG and an expert in nuclear neuroimaging, spoke about the latest trends in the diagnostics of Alzheimer’s disease.
The lecturers then presented developments in radioisotope imaging and treatment of cancer. Dr. Habil. Wojciech Cytawa gave a lecture on the latest developments in PSMA theranostics, which have revolutionised the management of patients with prostate cancer. In his lecture, Prof. Ralph A. Bundschuh, Head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden, demonstrated the potential of radioisotope therapy in prostate cancer and other cancers using a combination of beta(-) and alpha radiation emitters. Grzegorz Romanowicz, Ph.D., HJead of UCK’s Department of Nuclear Medicine and an expert in nuclear imaging of lymphoma, talked about the role played by PET imaging in patients with lymphoma. At the end of the session, Prof. Constantin Lapa, Head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Augsburg (Germany), talked about a novel method for imaging and treating haematopoietic malignancies using radioligands for chemokine receptors (CXCR4).
Other lecturers from our University, the Gdansk University of Technology and students of the SKN operating at the Department of Nuclear Medicine also gave presentations in other sessions. Electroradiology students also participated in the organisation of the conference. The event was held under the honorary patronage of Professor Michał Markuszewski, Rector of the MUG, and was part of the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of our University.
