Today, the Academy for Theranostics, a transformative initiative developed by the International Centers for Precision Oncology (ICPO) Foundation, announced that ADACAP (Advanced Accelerator Applications International S.A), a Novartis company, has signed a grant agreement to fund 130 stipends for the Academy's online education program. The primary beneficiaries of the ICPO Academy for Theranostics include clinicians, researchers, physicists, radiochemists, as well as nurses and technologists, all dedicated to integrating Radiomolecular Precision Oncology (RPO) into patient treatment. RPO brings a spectacular improvement in cancer care while today’s global demand largely exceeds patient access. Standardized education is key to bridge this gap. Radiotheranostics has the power to offer novel patient-focused precision oncology treatments according to the principle: “We treat what we see and see what we treat”. The ICPO Foundation, through its global Community, will identify promising recipients for the Novartis stipends, enabling young professionals to access world-class education and laying the ground for their future in theranostics.

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ICPO ACADEMY FOR THERANOSTICS powered by the ICPO FOUNDATION Global Community (Photo: Business Wire)

Cancer remains a pressing global issue, impacting millions of individuals annually. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a staggering 9.9 million deaths attributed to cancer. In response, the Radiomolecular Precision Oncology (RPO) approach, which empowers personalized treatments has gained remarkable significance. Nevertheless, the broad adoption of Radiomolecular Precision Oncology faces substantial hurdles due to a critical shortage of skilled professionals. Thus, the imperative of nurturing and guiding young talents in this domain has never been more pronounced. It is therefore of great importance to set standards in a rapidly developing field where the increase in patient access must be controlled qualitatively on a global level.

The ICPO Academy for Theranostics addresses this imperative by offering an extensive online educational program developed by the ICPO Foundation. This online program, supported by a global community of experts, encompasses over 50 hours of content, led by more than 30 leading experts from medicine, science, technology and patient care. The content is accessible in multiple languages. The primary objective of this program is to disseminate knowledge in Radiomolecular Precision Oncology, thereby improving patient outcomes with radiopharmaceutical therapies.

The certification process for the online program is structured to ensure that participants thoroughly understand the key learning points of each teaching unit. Each pillar, i.e. medical, physics, chemistry or nursing, of the program is divided into multiple teaching units. After completing a teaching unit, participants are required to take a multiple-choice test to assess their comprehension of the material. To successfully complete a teaching unit, participants must answer at least 80 percent of the questions correctly. This ensures that they have a solid grasp of the knowledge presented.

Odile Jaume, CEO of ICPO Foundation, conveyed her deep enthusiasm for this collaboration, stating “The global expansion of the Academy for Theranostics, with a particular emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, is central to the strategic initiatives. Our aim is to extend the benefits of theranostics and cutting-edge cancer treatments to one of the most severely impacted regions to enhance the care access and quality of life for patients in this region.”

Udo Vetter, Chairman of ICPO Board of Trustees, is pleased about the continuation of the pilot project in China and explains “Over 700 users from more than 300 hospitals in China took part in our program in 2023, 400 of whom were actively involved in learning. Impressively, more than 340 participants obtained their final certificates within just 8 weeks. We believe that Novartis' commitment to the industry will serve as a catalyst, encouraging others to follow suit.”

About ICPO Foundation

The International Centers for Precision Oncology Foundation (ICPO) is a non-profit organization established in 2019 under German law by leading international medical practitioners and life sciences entrepreneurs. Recognizing a paradigm shift in cancer care from one size fits all to a personalized approach, the ICPO Foundation is helping to build momentum to scale global patient access to Radiomolecular Precision Oncology to support this shift. To scale patient access, the ICPO Foundation aims to develop an international network of physical diagnostic and therapeutic Centers for Precision Oncology organized in a Social Franchise model based on shared know-how, certified education with so called Academy, and design and process standardization that enables best clinical practice globally. Furthermore, it is the ICPO Foundation’s objective to empower its Centers by embedding them in a highly inclusive Community that spearheads its model and lives up to the Precision Oncology promise, by making it available to all patients in need, irrespective of country or social status.

Learn more at www.icpo.foundation

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