National research program in PET-Nuclear medicine; 180°N

Projects coordinated from three cities

The project at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, led by Associate Professor Tom Christian Holm Adamsen, will focus on chemical innovation to increase the number of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools available in nuclear medicine, a medical specialisation that uses open radioactive substances in diagnostics and therapy.

The project at the PET centre in Tromsø, led by Associate Professor Rune Sundset, will comprise preclinical research using cancer cells and mice. Radiopharmaceuticals for use in PET (positron emission tomography) and nuclear medicine will be tested in the new pre-clinical facilities at the PET centre in Tromsø using state-of-the-art infrastructure for pre-clinical research in nuclear medicine and radiation biology.

The project in Trondheim, led by Professor Tone Bathen at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), will work on developing and documenting optimal diagnostics and treatment. This will be done by conducting multi-centre studies based on large and relevant patient groups, such as patients with prostate cancer, brain tumours and dementia.

In addition to each of the projects involving researchers from all universities and university hospitals in Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø, Stavanger University Hospital will also participate as a partner in one of the projects.

– Something we need more of

–Norway needs high-quality research to create better services, treatment and patient services going forward,’ said former Director General of the Research Council of Norway John-Arne Røttingen. ‘To achieve these goals, we need both public and private funding. I think it is excellent that private actors and foundations such as Trond Mohn and Tromsø Research Centre help to enhance health research by stimulating collaboration across disciplines and regions. This is something we need more of, Røttingen said.

– Will make a difference

The Trond Mohn Foundation and Tromsø Research Centre want to make a real difference in terms of both discipline development and the patient treatment of the future, something this programme undoubtedly has the potential to do,’ said Stener Kvinnsland, chair of the Trond Mohn Foundation.

‘We hope the foundations’ initiative can encourage greater collaboration between Norwegian expert communities in this field for the benefit of patients, and look forward to following these research projects,’ said Sveinung Hole, CEO of the Trond Mohn Foundation and chair of Tromsø Research Centre.

cooperative project

The overarching aim of the 180°N project is to strengthen research in nuclear medicine connected to the nuclear medicine equipment donated by Trond Mohn Foundation and Tromsø Research Foundation to the universities and hospitals in Trondheim, Tromsø and Bergen.

This additional joint cooperative project aims to stimulate consortium collaboration and to increase synergy effects between the research projects, thus facilitating the 180°N research projects to reach the goals. The measures are multifaceted;

1. To establish an annual conference as a platform for knowledge exchange and network building within 180°N, but also as an arena to obtain stimuli and interact with international researchers and clinicians holding state of the art expertise
2. To provide travel grants for skills enhancement
3. To provide funding for work package meetings, collaborations and conference participation
4. To hire a communication manager

Ingress illustration made by Tom Christian Adamsen