10th International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry

10th Int'l Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry being Held
　　The 10th International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry is being held for four days from Oct. 25 to 28 at the Kyoto International Conference Hall in Kyoto. Attended by 350 participants from over 20 nations, this year's symposium commemorates its 10th year, and is anticipated to be most meaningful.
　　The first international symposium took place in 1976 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the USA. Close to two decades have passed since then, marked by a striking shift in research areas as well as their increased sophistication, a topic to be recollected in the present symposium by the then, first chairman Dr. Alfred P. Wolf. At the 1976 symposium, the baby cyclotron was introduced, paving the way for the emergence of PET (position emission tomography) nuclear medicine. Significant breakthroughs have since been made which can be seen reflected in the great progress of SPECT (single photon emission tomography) nuclear medicine.
　　Nuclear medicine is now clearly recognized as a new area of medical care is firmly based on in vivo life science including in vivo biochemistry, in vivo physiology, and in vivo pharmacology. Moreover, PET and SPECT nuclear medicine are no longer regarded as simply a specialized area of medical care but are attracting attention as new areas of science. As such, research in radiopharmaceutical chemistry is the focus of immense interest not only for researchers specializing in this area.
　　In this connection, the lecture to be given by Dr. Hiroo Imura, M.D., invited lecturer and president of Kyoto University, is believed to be especially meaningful as he is not only noted his great contributions in endocrinology, in which area he successfully brought together clinical medicine and molecular biology, but also for his deep interest in nuclear medicine.

A Stepping Stone
By Dr. Akira Yokoyama, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee
　　We are greatly honored to have this opportunity to host the International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry in Kyoto. It is sincerely hoped that this landmark symposium will prove to be both productive and of interest to all concerned. The 1st International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry was held in 1976 in the USA. Even since, remarkable progress has been made in this area with a definitive shift in the areas of research being undertaken as well as sophistication of such research.
　　The 10th symposium will be attended by a large number of participants as it has attracted wide-ranging interest not only of specialists and researchers engaged in the study and research of radiopharmaceutical chemistry, but also of those engaged in the other field of science. Needless to say, radiopharmaceutical chemistry forms the very backbone of the newly emerging field of life science, and research must therefore adequately mee the progress made in this area. In this respect, it is a great pleasure to note that the content of many of the papers to be read at the symposium will fully meet expectations. It is anticipated that the 10th International Symposium will bring about further progress in radiopharmaceutical chemistry and will serve as a stepping stone to a still higher level of research.

Gist of Dr. Wolf's Lecture
　　Following opening remarks, Dr. Alfred P. Wolf of the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States was called upon to delivers a lecture entitled Seventeen Years of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Symposia, Impressions, and Progress. Dr. Wolf, one of the founding figures of these international meetings, gave a brief but interesting talk about the history of the radiopharmaceutical discipline from its roots back in 1913 where G.Hevesy, who latter went on to win the Nobel prize, first discovered the possibilities of tracers. Today he is known as the father of radiopharmaceuticals because he was the first to delineate the tracer method.
　　Dr. Wolf went on to introduce other important people who contributed much in the early stages of the development of the field, people like K. Fajans, who in 1913 became the first person to enunciate a carrier. Iodine was the first tracer used, and R. D. Evans focused attention on the use of iodine in 1938. Today, as it well known, the isotope of choice is iodine-123, the use of which was put forth in a paper presented by A. G .C. Mitchel in the 1940s. Dr. Wolf then talked of the importance of technetium, which was first brought to the fore in 1958. In discussing it, he pointed out that at first there was great skepticism among the medical community, but when further research proved its value, it became widely accepted, and is indeed one of the main topics at the various meetings being held here in Kyoto.
　　Dr. Wolf then turned his focus onto the symposia themselves. The first one was held in 1976 in Brookhaven National Laboratory and the 9th one was in Paris. At the first symposium, 11 papers were put forward, but in Paris, 262 papers were presented. Over the years, the increasing emphasis on biological data, the level of sophistication in synthetic work, and the labeling of monoclonals and compounds for SPECT have been among the major changes that have occurred with growth of the radiopharmaceutical chemistry as represented in the symposia held thus far.

Dr. Imura Presents Lecture
　　Dr. Hiroo Imura, M.D., invited lecturer and president of Kyoto University, presented a lecture entitled "Some New Aspects of Endocrinology and Their Impact on Nuclear Medicine" in the 10th International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry now under way at the Kyoto International Conference Hall in Kyoto.
　　Known for his serious involvement in intensive and extensive research in the field of endocrinology, Dr. Imura has succeeded in clarifying the physiological and pathological aspects unique to various hormonal or hormonelike substances and their receptors by fully employing the latest technology of molecular biology. Moreover, his epoch-making medical achievements extend toward research in both the correlation among endocrine, nervous and immune systems and diseases traced back to the abnormalities of these systems.
　　In his presentation at the symposium introduced by Prof. A. Yokoyama, chairman of the symposium, Dr. Imura reviewed part of such ongoing research and went further to express his perspectives on the future of nuclear medicine, considered as a prominent new field in looking inside the body and its interrelationship with the development of endocrinology. He detailed the characteristics and roles of three hormones represented by natriuretic peptides, ANP, BNP, and CNP, those believed to be derived from one common ancestor gene, and delved into what is shared in the field of immunology and endocrinology. Dr. Imura's review of his pioneer research in this new field reminded the audience that the roots of radiopharmaceuticals originated in iodine-131 labeled thyroid hormones. His lecture, accompanied by slides, also gave the audience an insight into the recent progress of endocrinology and it effects on the future research and development of radiopharmaceuticals.

Interviews with Symposium Participants
　　Over 350 people from throughout the world have been attending the 10th International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical chemistry in Kyoto and nearly 250 scientific presentations were given. Advancements in this field are occurring at a phenomenal rate, and this symposium, like the nine held before, has given researchers and scientists the opportunity to share and exchange new ideas and information.

Dr. William C. Eckelman
　　According to Dr. William C. Eckelman of the National Institutes of Health of Bethesda, Maryland, the symposium has seen the introduction of new compounds that will be used in people as in vivo markers of biochemistry. He observed that radioactivity connected to a biochemical is being injected the body, and then followed to see how the chemistry might change as a function of a disease. By injecting these radio-labeled compounds, information could be obtained through external imaging radioactive detectors. This would allow specialists to look inside the body in a noninvasive manner to determine disease states. Among the papers he has presented is one on muscarinic receptors.

Dr. Michael J. Welch
　　Dr. Michael J. Welch of the Edward Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology of St. Lous, Missouri praised the symposium, calling it the only forum where everybody in the field meets and discussed current work. His St. Lois facility has one of the biggest radiology departments in the world with over 100 people studying Positron Emitting Tomography (PET). He pointed to significant advances in the labeling of peptides, particularly peptides that seek out tumors. One member of his group, Dr. Caroline Anderson, introduced a new way of labeling peptides that has been shown to work for diagnosis and shows promise that it could work for therapy, as well. In total, his group presented eleven papers to the symposium on molecules that seek out other receptors for diagnosing various cancers. He praised the symposium, saying that through the technologies being discussed, doctors will be able to make informed decisions on how treat illness.

Prof. Willem Vaalburg
　　Professor Willem Vaalburg of University Hospital in Groningen, Holland, commented on European trends, noting that the situation in Europe is such that many groups are now extremely interested in radiopharmaceutical development and that nearly all these groups were attending the symposium. In Europe, cooperation is much easier thanks to the EEC, and thus various groups have worked closely to develop new methods of PET including radiopharmaceutical chemistry. From his point of view, the importance of the symposium is predicated on the fact that so much depends on the exchange of information on the development of new tracers. Moreover, he sees this as the single most important scientific meetings of its kind on radiopharmaceutical chemistry and its development for applications in clinical nuclear medicine.

Dr. Bengt Langstrom
　　Dr. Bengt Langstrom of the University of Uppsala in Sweden talked about Uppsala's new laboratory, which is widely recognized as one of the key institutions of its kind in Europe. Work is focused on Positron Emitting Tomography (PET). The new lab is a collaborative effort among the University, the Osaka Bioscience Institute under the leadership of Dr. Y. Watanabe, and the Research Development Corporation of Japan. Dr. Langstrom, commenting on the symposium, felt that the quality of papers being presented was very high, and that great strides were being made in the discipline. He singled out the detailed discussions of chemistry as being a sign that the quality of research is better than ever.

Dr. Richard M. Lambrecht
　　Dr. Richard M. Lambrecht, of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization praised the symposium as a meeting where young scientists and experts in the field can learn the latest advances in applying radioisotopes to the treatment of cancer, brain and heart disorders. He lauded Japan for taking a leading role in the expansion of nuclear medicine in the Pacific region. Dr. Lambrecht said that there are 2,350 gamma cameras including SPECT, and 24 PET scanners representing 1.5 million patient tests a year in the region. He pointed out that international cooperation and mutual understanding are being promoted everywhere in the field, and that Australia, too, was firmly committed to being a partner in the ongoing efforts to improve health care delivery using radioisotope.

Dr. Makoto Kato-Azuma
　　According to Dr. Makoto Kato-Azuma of Nihon Medi-Physics Co. Ltd., this conference is involved in exploring new directions of radiopharmaceutical research. Research benefits industrial radiopharmaceutical development, which can help in early diagnosis and prognosis in patient care. At this symposium, many aspects of this ongoing research have been presented. Dr. Kato-Azuma, who assisted in the organization of the symposium, also noted that despite the economic depression, the industry involved with radiopharmaceuticals is growing at a good pace because of its importance in health care. Moreover, as the population ages, diagnostic procedures such as nuclear medicine using radiopharmaceuticals are becoming increasingly important.