Alzheimer's. Coimbra to produce radiopharmaceuticals

The University of Coimbra (UC) will start producing an innovative radiopharmaceutical that ensures a more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease through Positron Emission Tomography (PET). In a note sent to the Lusa news agency, the UC highlighted that the innovative radiopharmaceutical will transform the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and open up new perspectives for its treatment. “Until now, the most common method was the PET scan to detect beta fibrillar and plaque amyloid”.

The drug, currently unavailable in Portugal, will be produced immediately by the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS) Pharma and will allow the detection of Tau protein aggregates in the brain, ensuring a more accurate diagnosis of the disease. “The detection of Tau protein aggregates in the brain allows a more accurate diagnosis and staging of the disease, relating to its severity and progression,” explained ICNAS director Antero Abrunhosa.

ICNAS Pharma (a radiopharmaceutical development and production company owned by the University of Coimbra) has developed the production process for the new radiopharmaceutical after two years of research, which could open up new perspectives for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. According to Antero Abrunhosa, “these studies could help develop a new generation of drugs that aim to reduce the accumulation of the Tau protein, which could contribute to improving the condition of Alzheimer's patients”.

Since 2012, ICNAS Pharma has launched seven radiopharmaceuticals on the national market and produced more than 300,000 doses — and is now in the internationalization phase for five other European countries and Brazil.