Page 72 - University of Pretoria RESEARCH REVIEW 2018

Advancing the use of nuclear imaging in a clinical setting
Mariza Vorster, Department of Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine imaging provides unique information, which offers the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages. Using small amounts of radioactive material called ‘radiotracers’ which are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled or swallowed, nuclear imaging uses the gamma rays emitted to create diagnostic images. This can then be taken a step further by targeting the disease with therapeutic radionuclides, also known as a ‘theranostic approach’.
Researchers in the Department
of Nuclear Medicine are at the forefront of developing new strategies to improve targeted molecular imaging and therapy in TB, HIV and cancer. Professor Mariza Vorster
is one of the core team members, working closely with Professor Mike Sathekge to improve the clinical application of nuclear imaging. The Molecular Imaging Research Centre uses positron emission tomography/ computed tomography (PET/CT) units that are able to generate a range of diagnostic images.
In research published in Clinical Genitourinary Cancer, Lengana, Sathekge and Vorster have shown that PET/CT scans were able to identify
lytic and bone marrow metastases
in patients who had prostate cancer. Importantly, they have found that PET/ CT scans were diagnostically superior to standard bone scans. The nuclear medicine team has also been testing the suitability of certain radiotracers for prospective imaging of prostate cancer. Published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, their study showed that both 18F-DCFPyL and 18F-PSMA-1007 had identical clinical findings.
In addition to cancer, nuclear imaging has much value in the diagnostic monitoring of tuberculosis (TB). Working with an international team, Professor Voster has published a review article in Seminars in Nuclear Medicine, detailing the value of nuclear imaging in the treatment of TB. Using nuclear medicine, clinicians can now detect latent TB infections, and assess the spread of the disease to other tissues. Importantly, nuclear imaging also allows clinicians accurately to assess if patients are responding to treatment.
Researchers at the Department of Nuclear Medicine have extended their research using nuclear imaging to assess whether different population groups have different responses to disease. Using non-invasive imaging biomarkers, researchers can assess how different individuals present
with certain diseases at different time points, allowing for targeted analysis and treatment.
Mariza Vorster is one of the research leaders at the University’s Future Africa Institute.
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