USA – GE HealthCare has announced its leading role in Thera4Care, a €25.3 million (US$ 27.8 million) project aimed at revolutionizing cancer treatment through the use of theranostics.
This innovative approach combines imaging diagnostics with targeted therapeutics, allowing for personalized cancer care by identifying tumor receptors and delivering radioactive drugs directly to the cancer cells.
While currently limited to a few specialized centers, Thera4Care aims to make this cutting-edge treatment more widely accessible across Europe.
“Theranostics represents a breakthrough in cancer care by integrating diagnosis and treatment in one step,” said Dr. Ben Newton, GE HealthCare’s general manager for Oncology Solutions.
“We are thrilled to be at the forefront of a collaboration that seeks to expand this precision medicine approach, offering connected, compassionate care to a broader range of patients.”
The Thera4Care project brings together 29 partners, including top European academic institutions, clinical sites, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
The initiative aims to develop scalable methods for producing, detecting, and monitoring key theranostic isotopes. This effort focuses on several cancer types, including prostate, ovarian, pancreas cancers, and sarcomas.
The project will leverage GE HealthCare’s advanced technologies, such as cyclotrons, PET and SPECT imaging scanners, and AI-enabled decision support tools, to improve patient outcomes.
In addition, Thera4Care will strengthen healthcare systems’ ability to adopt radiology-based diagnostics and therapies, ensuring that more patients can benefit from these life-saving treatments.
With support from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, the consortium will also focus on expanding the European network of good manufacturing practices (GMP) sites for isotope production and developing next-generation imaging technology.
These advancements will include “AI-based tumor quantitation and personalized dosimetry, critical for optimizing cancer care,” according to GE HealthCare. The Thera4Care initiative is co-funded under the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), a public-private partnership between the European Union and life science industries.
