AGORA

The Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging at (CHUV) and the Translational Laboratory of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences at the Cancer Research Centre AGORA compose the Lausanne Swiss translational platform. CHUV is a world leading university hospital (employs more than 11'600 people of 106 different nationalities, has treated more than 51'200 patients in 2019, and is among the top 5 Swiss hospitals and the top 10 in the world, Newsweek magazine's 2019 ranking). Collaborating also with the Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CHUV plays a leading role on a European scale in the fields of medical care, medical research and education. It is equipped with leading edge equipment (including quantitative SPECT/CT and last generation Si PET scanners), is ISO9001:2015 certified and is accredited as PET Centre of Excellence through EARL, and comprises a GMP accredited radiopharmacy facility. The department leads or participates in several clinical trials. AGORA is the flagship of the Swiss Cancer Centre Léman, an alliance of leading institutions (CHUV, University Hospital Geneva, Lausanne and Geneva Universities, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), and their partners (the ISREC Foundation and the Ludwig Cancer Research).

The laboratory of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences designs and performs synthesis, preclinical characterisation of targeted probes for in vivo imaging and theranostic applications in the wider context of immuno-oncology. It identifies novel targets for selective imaging, and makes subsequent tracer development and optimisation. It performs preclinical advances on theranostic concepts such as Chemokine receptor-targeted agents, within the framework of immunotherapies and combination therapies. The overarching goal of these efforts is the development of imaging tools for improved patient selection in the context of immune therapies in different cancer entities. The laboratory can support the development of new radiotracers from the bench to preclinical study and its translation into relevant clinical applications. It is fully equipped to allow the production of innovative molecules and their evaluation in in vitro and in vivo models. The μPET/SPECT/CT platform which is necessary to establish proof of concept for clinically promising radiotracers is part of the IVIF (In Vivo Imaging Facility) which hosts several preclinical imaging modalities such as MRI, CT, optical imaging and dual photon microscopy in addition to a μPET/SPECT/CT and a μPET/CT scanner. Translation into clinical application is ensured by the radiopharmacy facility accredited for GMP production and the clinical trials can be organised and conducted at the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. All the infrastructures are located on the same site.