A New Theranostics Center of Excellence in Europe: GE HealthCare and University Medicine Essen Collaborate to Advance Theranostics and Personalized Medicine
GE HealthCare and University Medicine Essen (UME) are collaborating to establish a new Theranostics Center of Excellence in Europe. This initiative aims to advance personalized medicine and improve cancer treatment through theranostics, a transformative approach combining targeted therapy with precise diagnostic tools.
The center will be equipped with cutting-edge technologies from GE HealthCare, including PET/CT, PET/MR, and SPECT/CT systems, as well as digital and AI solutions. These technologies will support both clinical practice and advanced research in personalized cancer care.
Key objectives of the collaboration include:
- Expanding production and access to radioisotopes for precise disease diagnosis and monitoring
- Outfitting facilities with innovative technologies for improved image quality and personalized treatment recommendations
- Supporting research activities, including collaboration on GE HealthCare's total body PET/CT technology
This partnership aims to drive innovation in clinical collaboration, research, and education throughout the region, ultimately offering more personalized treatments to cancer patients.
GE HealthCare e l'Università di Medicina di Essen (UME) stanno collaborando per stabilire un nuovo Centro di Eccellenza in Terapia e Diagnostica in Europa. Questa iniziativa mira a far progredire la medicina personalizzata e migliorare il trattamento del cancro attraverso la teranostica, un approccio trasformativo che combina la terapia mirata con strumenti diagnostici precisi.
Il centro sarà dotato di tecnologie all'avanguardia di GE HealthCare, inclusi sistemi PET/CT, PET/MR e SPECT/CT, oltre a soluzioni digitali e basate sull'IA. Queste tecnologie supporteranno sia la pratica clinica che la ricerca avanzata nella cura personalizzata del cancro.
Gli obiettivi principali della collaborazione includono:
- Espandere la produzione e l'accesso ai radioisotopi per diagnosi e monitoraggio delle malattie precise
- Dotare le strutture di tecnologie innovative per migliorare la qualità delle immagini e le raccomandazioni per i trattamenti personalizzati
- Sostenere le attività di ricerca, inclusa la collaborazione sulla tecnologia PET/CT a corpo intero di GE HealthCare
Questa partnership punta a stimolare l'innovazione nella collaborazione clinica, nella ricerca e nell'istruzione in tutta la regione, offrendo infine trattamenti più personalizzati ai pazienti oncologici.
GE HealthCare y la Universidad de Medicina de Essen (UME) están colaborando para establecer un nuevo Centro de Excelencia en Teranóstica en Europa. Esta iniciativa tiene como objetivo avanzar en la medicina personalizada y mejorar el tratamiento del cáncer a través de la teranóstica, un enfoque transformador que combina terapias dirigidas con herramientas de diagnóstico precisas.
El centro estará equipado con tecnologías de vanguardia de GE HealthCare, incluidos sistemas PET/CT, PET/MR y SPECT/CT, así como soluciones digitales y de IA. Estas tecnologías respaldarán tanto la práctica clínica como la investigación avanzada en el cuidado personalizado del cáncer.
Los objetivos clave de la colaboración incluyen:
- Expandir la producción y el acceso a radioisótopos para el diagnóstico y monitoreo preciso de enfermedades
- Equipar las instalaciones con tecnologías innovadoras para mejorar la calidad de imagen y las recomendaciones de tratamiento personalizadas
- Apoyar las actividades de investigación, incluida la colaboración en la tecnología PET/CT de cuerpo entero de GE HealthCare
Esta asociación busca impulsar la innovación en la colaboración clínica, la investigación y la educación en toda la región, ofreciendo finalmente tratamientos más personalizados a los pacientes con cáncer.
GE 헬스케어와 에센 의과대학(UME)이 유럽에 새로운 테라노스틱 센터 오브 엑셀런스를 설립하기 위해 협력하고 있습니다. 이 이니셔티브는 개인 맞춤 의학을 진전시키고 테라노스틱스를 통한 암 치료를 개선하는 것을 목표로 하고 있으며, 이는 표적 치료와 정밀 진단 도구를 결합한 혁신적인 접근 방식입니다.
센터는 GE 헬스케어의 최첨단 기술로 장비를 갖추게 되며, 여기에는 PET/CT, PET/MR, SPECT/CT 시스템과 디지털 및 AI 솔루션이 포함됩니다. 이러한 기술은 임상 실무와 개인 맞춤형 암 치료를 위한 고급 연구 모두를 지원할 것입니다.
협업의 주요 목표는 다음과 같습니다:
- 정밀 질병 진단 및 모니터링을 위한 방사성 동위원소의 생산 및 접근 확대
- 이미지 품질 개선 및 개인 맞춤형 치료 권장 사항 생성을 위한 혁신적인 기술로 시설 장비 마련
- GE 헬스케어의 전신 PET/CT 기술에 대한 협업 포함한 연구 활동 지원
이 파트너십은 지역 내 임상 협력, 연구 및 교육의 혁신을 촉진하여 최종적으로 암 환자에게 더 개인화된 치료를 제공하는 것을 목표로 합니다.
GE HealthCare et l'Université de Médecine d'Essen (UME) collaborent pour établir un nouveau Centre d'Excellence en Théranostiques en Europe. Cette initiative vise à faire progresser la médecine personnalisée et à améliorer le traitement du cancer grâce à la théranostique, une approche transformative qui combine thérapie ciblée et outils diagnostiques précis.
Le centre sera équipé de technologies de pointe de GE HealthCare, y compris des systèmes PET/CT, PET/MR et SPECT/CT, ainsi que de solutions numériques et basées sur l'IA. Ces technologies soutiendront à la fois la pratique clinique et la recherche avancée dans le domaine des soins personnalisés contre le cancer.
Les objectifs clés de cette collaboration incluent :
- Élargir la production et l'accès aux radio-isotopes pour un diagnostic et un suivi précis des maladies
- Équiper les installations avec des technologies innovantes pour améliorer la qualité d'image et les recommandations de traitement personnalisées
- Soutenir les activités de recherche, y compris la collaboration sur la technologie PET/CT à corps entier de GE HealthCare
Ce partenariat a pour but de stimuler l'innovation dans la collaboration clinique, la recherche et l'éducation dans toute la région, offrant finalement des traitements plus personnalisés aux patients atteints de cancer.
GE HealthCare und die Universität Medizin Essen (UME) arbeiten zusammen, um ein neues Theranostics Center of Excellence in Europa einzurichten. Diese Initiative zielt darauf ab, die personalisierte Medizin voranzubringen und die Krebsbehandlung durch Theranostik zu verbessern, einem transformativen Ansatz, der gezielte Therapien mit präzisen Diagnosewerkzeugen kombiniert.
Das Zentrum wird mit modernster Technologie von GE HealthCare ausgestattet sein, einschließlich PET/CT, PET/MR und SPECT/CT-Systemen sowie digitalen und KI-Lösungen. Diese Technologien werden sowohl die klinische Praxis als auch die fortschrittliche Forschung im Bereich der personalisierten Krebsbehandlung unterstützen.
Die Hauptziele der Zusammenarbeit umfassen:
- Erweiterung der Produktion und des Zugangs zu Radioisotopen für präzise Krankheitsdiagnosen und -überwachung
- Ausrüstung der Einrichtungen mit innovativen Technologien zur Verbesserung der Bildqualität und personalisierten Behandlungsempfehlungen
- Unterstützung von Forschungsaktivitäten, einschließlich der Zusammenarbeit an der Ganzkörper-PET/CT-Technologie von GE HealthCare
Diese Partnerschaft zielt darauf ab, Innovationen in der klinischen Zusammenarbeit, Forschung und Ausbildung in der gesamten Region voranzutreiben und letztendlich individuellere Behandlungen für Krebspatienten anzubieten.
- Establishment of a new Theranostics Center of Excellence, potentially advancing personalized cancer care
- Collaboration with a leading European healthcare institution (University Medicine Essen)
- Implementation of cutting-edge imaging technologies and AI solutions
- Potential for improved patient outcomes through more personalized treatment approaches
- Research collaboration on advanced total body PET/CT technology
- None.
Insights
This collaboration between GE HealthCare and University Medicine Essen (UME) to establish a Theranostics Center of Excellence is a significant development in personalized cancer treatment. The center will be equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, including advanced PET/CT, PET/MR and SPECT/CT systems, along with AI and digital solutions.
Key points of impact:
- Enhanced tracer production capabilities, potentially increasing access to radioisotopes for precise diagnostics
- Advanced imaging technologies enabling more accurate disease staging and monitoring
- Collaboration on GE HealthCare's total body PET/CT technology, which could lead to ultra-low dose scans and improved imaging of slow-decaying tracers
- Potential for new clinical pathways in oncology and dual tracer use, offering higher diagnostic confidence
This partnership could accelerate the development of personalized cancer treatments, potentially improving patient outcomes and quality of life. For investors, this positions GE HealthCare at the forefront of theranostics and precision medicine, which could drive long-term growth in the
This collaboration represents a strategic move for GE HealthCare in the rapidly growing field of theranostics and personalized medicine. Key financial implications include:
- Potential for increased market share in the molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical sectors
- Long-term revenue growth opportunities from the sale and implementation of advanced imaging systems and AI solutions
- Enhanced competitive positioning in the precision medicine market, which is projected to grow significantly
- Possible future licensing or commercialization opportunities from research collaborations
While specific financial figures are not provided, this partnership could lead to increased equipment sales, recurring revenue from consumables (e.g., radioisotopes) and potential royalties from new technologies developed. The collaboration also strengthens GE HealthCare's position in Europe, a key market for medical technology. Investors should view this as a positive long-term investment in R&D and market expansion, potentially driving future earnings growth.
- Bringing together leading global healthcare innovator and European healthcare institutions, this relationship aims to advance Theranostics in clinical practice and the development of new tracers and technologies for more personalized medicine
- Theranostics is a transformative approach to cancer treatment, giving hope to patients and their loved ones and the potential for an improved quality of life
- The practice of Theranostics is supported by advanced imaging devices as well as digital and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions
Cancerous diseases continue to threaten the lives of patients, with over 10 million new cancer cases diagnosed annually.i Fortunately, the advancement of precision diagnostics solutions and regulatory approval of new treatment options enables the growing practice of precision care – namely Theranostics – giving hope to patients and their loved ones and the potential for an improved quality of life.
"Theranostics has revolutionized the way we approach patient care by combining targeted therapy with precise diagnostic tools, offering a personalized treatment strategy,” shares Ken Herrmann, MD, 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. However, the true potential of Theranostics can only be fully realized with continuous research and development. As we advance precision medicine, it is crucial that we collaborate with industry leaders – like GE HealthCare – and invest in innovation to refine and expand personalized medicine, helping ensure even better outcomes for patients in the future."
Theranostics represents a growing medical practice, leveraging diagnostic tools to precisely diagnose and monitor disease for the targeted delivery of therapy to patients. These therapeutic and diagnostic technologies work together to provide a personalized, highly precise, patient-centric approach to medical diagnosis and treatment.
GE HealthCare and University Medicine Essen are proud to be at the forefront of this quickly developing practice, moving away from traditional one-size-fits-all cancer treatments toward connected, patient-centric, and highly personalized care. Together, the two institutions aim to:
- Expand production of and access to radioisotopes for precise disease diagnoses and monitoring;
- Outfit facilities with innovative technologies and solutions capable of improved image quality, dose calculation, care coordination, and operations for more personalized treatment recommendations and an improved patient experience; and
- Support research activities with the aim of advancing precision care now and in the future, beginning with collaboration on GE HealthCare’s total body PET/CT technology.
Enabling precision health: Tracer production
The practice of Theranostics begins with the production and development of radioisotopes for use in diagnostic tracers, which are administered to the patient, attach to specific cancer cells, and release radioactive emissions to provide detailed molecular information unique to each patient.
To enable this work, GE HealthCare will outfit University Medicine Essen’s new tracer development center with a full suite of radio pharmacy solutions – including cyclotron, synthesizer, and lab technologies – which will support the production and supply of radioactive materials for patients. These solutions work together to create a steady, more cost-effective supply of diagnostic tracers, helping ensure clinicians get the quick, accurate, personalized data necessary to diagnose, stage, and monitor each patient’s unique disease state.
Staging and quantifying disease: Theranostics Center of Excellence
To read the emissions released by these tracers, the patient must be imaged using highly sensitive imaging systems. These technologies provide the clinician detailed information that is used to better understand the structure and function of each patient’s tissue and disease state to help form personalized therapy recommendations:
- Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance (PET/CT and PET/MR): reveal the metabolic or biochemical function of tissues and organs using a radioactive drug (tracer) to detect both typical and atypical metabolic activity before the disease would typically show up on other imaging tests;
- Single Photon Emission/Computed Tomography (SPECT/CT): use a radioactive substance (tracer) and a special camera to create 3D pictures showing how well the organs are working; and
- Digital and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions: leverage advancements in digital, machine learning and AI to help improve diagnosis quality and enhance radiology and clinical workflows.
“Building a therapeutics program requires access to highly sophisticated equipment,” adds 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. We are thrilled to leverage GE HealthCare’s impressive suite of solutions and work with them on their next generation long axial field of view PET/CT technology that has the potential to further enhance our ability to practice precision care.”ii
To support these efforts, GE HealthCare is delivering a new Omni Legend 32cm PET/CT, SIGNA PET/MR, and several SPECT/CT systems, including StarGuide, NM/CT 870 DR, and NM 830. These systems’ capabilities are further enhanced by deep learning and AI solutions – including auto positioning, Precision DL, Clarify DLiii – and digital technologies from MIM Software’s impressive suite of imaging analytics and digital workflow solutions – a recent addition to GE HealthCare’s leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital portfolio.
Altogether, University Medicine Essen’s new Theranostics Center of Excellence will drive innovation in clinical collaboration, research, and education throughout the region, equipping healthcare practitioners with the tools and knowledge necessary to offer more personalized treatments to patients.
Preparing for the future of personalized medicine
Researchers at University Medicine Essen are also collaborating with GE HealthCare to further expand the potential of PET/CT, which is used broadly for disease diagnosis, staging, therapeutic planning, and treatment response assessment – especially cancer.
"Access to comprehensive imaging is crucial in healthcare, significantly impacting decision-making and patient outcomes," shares 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. Sensitivity is essential for the next generation of tracers and use of dual tracers, which can offer higher diagnostic confidence and better operational efficiency."
To support this advanced research, encourage new discoveries, and meet growing clinical demands, GE HealthCare is designing its long axial field of view PET/CT technology to deliver record high sensitivity for ultra-low dose scans; fast acquisitions; multi organ dynamic imaging; and impressive imaging of slow decaying, low activity tracers. In parallel, this technology aims to improve healthcare system efficiency by enhancing clinical workflows, supporting routine clinical practice, and improving operational efficiency with deep learning-based technologies.
“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,” shares Wolfgang Fendler, MD, 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.”
University Medicine Essen previously collaborated with GE HealthCare to validate AI models designed to predict patient response to immunotherapies. Based on a cohort of over 4,000 UME patients, the collaboration confirmed the AI models’ ability to predict efficacy outcomes and the likelihood of an individual patient developing an immune-related adverse event (in this case, hepatitis) with 70 to 80 percent accuracy.iv These findings could further enable precision care by unlocking the potential for clinicians to select the appropriate personalized treatment pathway sooner while potentially sparing unnecessary side effects and cost.
GE HealthCare is at the forefront of driving a connected healthcare transformation and revolutionizing cancer care. Its integrated portfolio of solutions provides clinicians with the isotopes, imaging, informatics, and molecular imaging agents necessary for the practice and advancement of precision care.
By connecting clinicians along every step of the oncology care pathway with innovations and strategic collaborations, this collaboration aims to empower researchers and clinicians and enable better outcomes for cancer patients around the globe.
For more information on GE HealthCare’s impressive Molecular Imaging portfolio, visit GEHealthCare.com.
About GE HealthCare Technologies Inc.
GE HealthCare is a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, dedicated to providing integrated solutions, services, and data analytics to make hospitals more efficient, clinicians more effective, therapies more precise, and patients healthier and happier. Serving patients and providers for more than 125 years, GE HealthCare is advancing personalized, connected, and compassionate care, while simplifying the patient’s journey across the care pathway. Together our Imaging, Ultrasound, Patient Care Solutions, and Pharmaceutical Diagnostics businesses help improve patient care from diagnosis, to therapy, to monitoring. We are a
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i Cancer. World Health Organization. Published February 3, 2022. https://www.who.int./news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer. Accessed March 2, 2023.
ii Long axial field of view PET/CT represents ongoing research and development efforts. Not for sale. Not CE-marked and not cleared or approved by the
iii Clarify DL is CE marked as part of StarGuide and Xeleris V, and 510(k) pending at the US FDA. Not available for sale in
iv Poster “Evaluation of Machine Learning Models to Predict Efficacy and Toxicity of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Using an External Real-World Pan-Cancer Cohort” presented at SITC 38th Annual meeting
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241016209683/en/
GE HealthCare Media Contact:
Margaret Steinhafel
Director of Communications
Molecular Imaging & Computed Tomography
+1 608 381 8829
margaret.steinhafel@gehealthcare.com
Source: GE HealthCare Technologies Inc.
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