The main research objective of the "Nuclear Oncology Research" team is the development of targeted radionuclide therapy, and more specifically of radioimmunotherapy, to treat disseminated cancers.  

Specific objectives are: 

1. Improving radionuclide targeting techniques by the use of innovative radionuclides in relationship with the implantation of the Arronax cyclotron in Nantes, of pretargeting strategies and of colloidal vectors. 

2. Using high LET radionuclides, very toxic at short range, such as alpha emitters. 

3. Developing multimodality treatments that synergize with radioimmunotherapy 

4. Searching for new target antigens, expressed by tumor cells or their environment 

5. Controlling the efficacy and toxicity of targeted radionuclide therapy by quantifying precisely (quantitative imaging) the absorbed doses delivered to tumor cells and normal tissues (dosimetry) and by understanding the biological effects of ionizing radiations (radiobiology). 

6. Transferring the results to the clinics in radioimmunotherapy (RIT), molecular imaging and PET quantification and intraoperative tumor detection. 

This interdisciplinary strategy is implemented by three complementary research groups working in close coordination: 

Group 1: Radionuclide targeting in oncology (leaders: Alain Faivre-Chauvet and Jean-François Gestin) 

Group 2: Experimental and clinical nuclear oncology (leaders: Michel Chérel, François Davodeau and Françoise Kraeber-Bodéré) 

Group 3: Dosimetry of targeted radionuclide therapy (leader: Manuel Bardiès) 

It is supported by inter-regional (Tumor Targeting network of Cancéropôle Grand Ouest), national (GDR CNRS Tumor targeting) and international (program COST BM 0607 "Targeted Radionuclide Therapy" and the FP7 European project "Targeted Alpha-particle Radiotherapy to Combat Cancer") networks, strong partnerships with the clinical departments of IRCNA and collaborations with industry.