The preclinical research group is a highly multidisciplinary group of researchers with backgrounds in radiochemistry, radiobiology, nuclear physics, biomedicine and molecular biology. The main focus of the group is development and preclinical evaluation of new radiopharmaceuticals for PET-imaging and receptor-targeted precision radiotherapies of cancer using unconventional radionuclides. With special emphasis on targeting cancer stem cells, our mission is to develop novel, curative treatments of aggressive cancer types (e.g. brain and lung cancers) and thereby completely change the landscape of current standards-of-care. We achieve this by deploying ground-breaking theranostic technologies and innovative drug delivery techniques. Our technology is based on a special class of targeted radioactive molecules that deliver pin-point curative radiation doses, capable of highly efficient cancer cell killing at the single cell level. The research is mainly funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Independent Research Fund Denmark, the Innovation Fund Denmark, The Danish Cancer Society, as well as by other minor foundations. Our network comprises partners across the full spectrum of radiopharmaceutical development in several countries in the EU and abroad.
Group leader
Helge Thisgaard, Associate Professor, MSc, PhD, MPE
Email: helge.thisgaard@rsyd.dk
Phone: +45 2138 0417
Members of the group
Johan Hygum Dam, Radiochemist, Associate Professor, MSc, PhD
Niels Langkjær, Radiochemist, MSc, PhD
Aaraby Nielsen, Postdoc, MSc, PhD
Mahsa AmirrashediBonab, Postdoc
Vigga Sand Laursen, MSc, PhD student
Lorraine Gé, MSc, PhD student
Christina Baun, Research Radiographer , PhD student
Ongoing projects
- Neurokinin-1 receptor targeted radionuclide therapy of glioblastoma, (funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark)
- Image and Destroy: New Radionuclides for Cancer Theranostics, (funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation)
- Targeted Auger radiotherapy: A new drug class to cure glioblastoma (funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark)
- Nanocarriers for next generation glioblastoma therapy, (funded by the Danish Cancer Society – Knæk Cancer)
- Exploring the vulnerability of cancer stem cells to Auger-electrons, (funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark)
- Targeted radionuclide therapy of EGFR-positive glioblastoma, (funded by the Region of Southern Denmark’s & Danish Technical University’s Proof of Concept programs)
- Trifunctional PSMA ligands for prostate cancer therapy and diagnosis, (funded by the Region of Southern Denmark’s Proof of Concept program)