How Radioligands Work
Radioligands are like microscopic self-guided missiles, that seek out and kill cancer cells.
Radioligands have been used for many years to diagnose and treat cancers such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, neuroendocrine tumours, thyroid cancer and, most recently, prostate cancer.
Cancer cells have receptors on them that attract specific chemical compounds. Radioligands act like heat seeking missiles, seeking out the cancer cells via receptors and emitting beta rays to destroy them.
Compared to chemotherapy, which can cause extensive damage to healthy cells, radioligands precisely deliver a radioactive payload that kills cancer cells and leaves surrounding healthy cells untouched.
The immune system is then mobilized to the site of disease, amplifying the therapeutic effect.
Unlike traditional pharmaceuticals, Radioligands have a very short shelf life, and must be manufactured on demand for each patient.
This just-in-time requirement means it has been difficult for physicians to offer radioligand treatments to their patients, as there are very few pharmaceutical companies producing them.
POINT is addressing the inaccessibility of radioligand treatments by investing heavily in production capacity and logistics, with the goal of making them available to any patient that would benefit from them.
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