Overview

Major Objectives / Activities

• Radiopharmacy: Development of novel radiopharmaceuticals for medical imaging and radiotherapy.
• Radiobiology, Biodosimetry and Radioprotection: (1) Absorbed dose and risk estimation following exposure to ionizing radiation (2) Εvaluation of individual or induced radiosensitivity.
• Radioecology / Environmental Radioactivity: Assessment of environmental radioactivity and radiological impact on ecosystems.
• Radioactive waste management: Study of integrated solutions in radioactive waste management for countries with small amounts of radioactive waste.

Resources - critical mass assembly

Participating Laboratories / Groups

• Radioisotopes - Radiopharmaceuticals Laboratory / Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, Molecular Radiopharmacy, Radiochemistry, Radiopharmacology and Radiobiology Groups
• Health Physics, Radiobiology & Cytogenetics Laboratory / Health Physics, Radiobiology, Cytogenetics and Radiopharmacology - Radiobiology Groups
• Radioactive Materials Management Laboratory (RMML)
• Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory / Radioecology and Radiation Protection of Man and the Environment Groups.

Radiopharmacy

• Peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals: Radiolabeled somatostatin, bombesin, neurotensin, gastrin and other peptide-based analogs have been and will continue to be developed and screened as candidates for receptor-targeted diagnostic tumor imaging using SPECT and PET, as well as for peptide receptor targeted therapy (PRTT).
• Selected analogs are undergoing Phase I clinical trials in European clinical centers (Austria, UK, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands).
• Neuroprotective peptides (humanin, colivelin), alpha-thymosins (inflammation imaging) and anti-microbial peptides (infection imaging) labeled with Tc-99m via different chelating systems.
• Bioinorganic compounds: New mixed ligand chelating systems for technetium, rhenium and other metals in different oxidation states.
• Radiolabeled small bioactive molecules: Pharmacophore- (quinazolines for EGFR imaging, cationic compounds for targeting of energized mitochondria, quinolones for discrimination of infection from aseptic inflammation) coupled (radio)metal chelates, mainly 99mTc-based.
• Antibodies: Monoclonal Antibodies labeled with gamma-, beta- and positron-emitting radioisotopes (Technetium-99m, Rhenium-186/188, Lutetium-177, Samarium-153, Arsenic-74, Niobium-90) for targeted imaging and therapy of cancer.
• Nanoparticles: Multimodal (SPECT/PET/Optical) mannosylated dextrans for sentinel lymph node detection; Gd-based nanoparticle structures (iron-oxide/gold) labeled with Gallium-68, as dual-modality imaging agents.

Radiobiology, Biodosimetry and Radioprotection

• Development and validation of biomarkers using high throughput methodologies for assessing absorbed doses and health risk in case of radiation exposure emergencies, radiological accidents or terrorists acts.
• Development of a cytokinesis–block micronucleus (CBMN) assay for measuring DNA damage, cytostasis and cytotoxicity induced by cytotoxic agents (ionizing radiation, drugs). Evaluation of induced radiosensitivity by various drugs.
• Mechanistic insights on the aetiology of low-and high-LET radiation-induced chromosomal aberrations and risk for carcinogenesis using conventional and interphase cytogenetics.
• Induction and repair kinetics of radiation-induced chromatid breaks during G2/M transition as a biological basis for predicting enhanced radiosensitivity and susceptibility to carcinogenesis at individual level.

Radioecology / Environmental Radioactivity

• Development of a user-friendly, ready-to-use by stakeholders, commercial organism-kit for environmental quality assessment purposes.
• Providing an innovative tool for the remote control of the radioactive releases in the marine environment from local and / or regional / global radiological events.
• To advance the ERICA Tool by introducing further biological parameters for more accurate estimations of dose to non-human organisms.
• Size distribution of air-borne radionuclides / aerosol technology

Radioactive waste management

• Contribute essentially towards the formulation of the national strategy for integrated solutions regarding radioactive waste management.
• Establish the national laboratory for conditioning and long-term storage of radioactive waste until removal for disposal at the respective national disposal facilities.
• Develop further activities and infrastructure concerning the radiological characterization and decommissioning of relevant facilities / devices.

Resources - critical mass assembly

• Experience and infrastructure (in terms of expert staff and advanced facilities) developed over the last decade(s) as a result of European and National projects.
• Currently running projects on receptor - targeted radiopharmaceuticals (EMC_BioSynthema Collaboration Agreement) and newly (within 2013) approved for funding projects (TranScan, ARISTEIA II) on translational research, therapeutic radioligands in oncology.
• Intense service provision to public and private entities in the fields of Radiopharmaceuticals QC and radioisotope/radiopharmaceutical distribution throughout Greece.
• Provision of services related to Radiation Protection of man and environment to a variety of authorities and stakeholders (issuing of certificates).
• Support by GAEC and the government to equip and sustain a National Point for radioactive waste management.