Our team is on the forefront of Radiopharmaceutical Therapy (RPT), combining rare radioisotopes like Actinium-225 with cancer-targeting molecules to precisely eliminate tumors with minimal damage to healthy tissue.
Early results treating prostate cancer with Actinium-225 have been remarkable. Now we’re optimizing RPTs for other cancers by producing new therapeutic radioisotopes, designing better delivery molecules, and identifying optimal combinations with other emerging therapies like CAR-T.
With unique access to rare isotopes from TRIUMF’s world-leading cyclotron and radiochemistry labs, we can overcome supply challenges that have stalled RPT development. Our multidisciplinary team along the full spectrum of RPT research and translation will progress the most promising therapies quickly and efficiently from lab to clinic to the cancer patients who need them.
RPTs represent a new frontier in targeted cancer therapy. Our project aims to secure Canada’s leadership in this groundbreaking field and develop more effective, personalized treatments to improve survival and quality of life for cancer patients in Canada and beyond. We believe RPT is the future of cancer therapy, and we have the expertise and infrastructure to make that future a reality.
Scientific Leadership Team
François Bénard, MD
University of British Columbia, BC Cancer
Nominated Principal Investigator and Executive Committee
Dr. Bénard is the BC Leadership Chair in Functional Cancer Imaging, Distinguished Scientist and senior executive director at BC Cancer, and Professor of Radiology at UBC. As a clinician scientist, Dr. Bénard’s primary research interest is the development of radiopharmaceuticals and improved methods for diagnosis and treatment of cancers. Dr. Bénard’s expertise covers radiopharmaceutical development and clinical research ranging from phase 0-1 studies to multi-centre clinical trials, with over 220 peer-reviewed publications and multiple radiopharmaceuticals translated from bench to bedside.
Caterina Ramogida, PhD
Simon Fraser University
Co-Principal Investigator and Executive Committee
Dr. Ramogida is an early career researcher who joined the Chemistry Department at SFU as Assistant Professor in September 2018 and holds a joint appointment with TRIUMF. Dr. Ramogida is an expert in chelation chemistry, radiolabeling studies with small molecule, peptide, and antibody conjugates, and development of metal-based radiopharmaceuticals.
Scientific Team
Deirdre Weymann, Health Economist
BC Cancer
Staff Scientist and Knowledge Mobilization & Patient Engagement Committee
Dean Regier, PhD
BC Cancer
Co-Investigator and Knowledge Mobilization & Patient Engagement Committee
Jean-Mathieu Beauregard, MD
Université Laval
Co-Investigator and Knowledge Mobilization & Patient Engagement Committee
Advisory Board
Julie Sutcliffe (UC Davis)
Sergio Calvo (GE Healthcare)
Suzanne Lapi (UAB)
Rodney Hicks (The University of Melbourne and Monash University Departments of Medicine)