JNM supplement highlights nuclear medicine innovation in China

Reston, VA—A new supplement to The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shines a spotlight on the role China has played in advancing global nuclear medicine, with an eye to the country’s future contributions. The supplement details significant advances in research and development, as well as the clinical translation of novel radiopharmaceuticals, and aims to inform and inspire future international collaborations and multicenter studies.

“Research and innovation do not adhere to global borders, and tremendous innovation in our field has been recently initiated in China,” said Johannes Czernin, MD, JNM Editor-in-Chief. “This supplement features the impressive basic research and clinical translation taking place in China and will be of interest not only to the academic nuclear medicine and theranostics community, but also to professionals in the fields of oncology and translational research, as well as in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.”

The supplement has three areas of focus: long-field PET scanners, new theranostic approaches, and the nuclear medicine regulatory landscape in China. In the first area of focus, pioneering clinical work with long-field PET scanners and their role in drug development is discussed. The second focus, exploring the new wave of innovative theranostic concepts, includes articles discussing FAPI, nectin-4, and melanin-targeting efforts. The third focus, the regulatory landscape, covers the pathways to approval of innovative radiopharmaceuticals in China.

Led by an international team of editors including Wolfgang Weber, MD, PhD; Haojun Chen, MD; Kuangyu Shi, PhD; Weibo Cai, PhD; and Ken Herrmann, MD, this supplement features top experts in the fields of molecular imaging and theranostics in China. Articles include:

• Advancing Global Nuclear Medicine: The Role and Future Contributions of China
  Haojun Chen, Kuangyu Shi, Weibo Cai, Sijin Li, and Jing WangChen and colleagues introduce this JNM supplement, a timely overview of the status of nuclear medicine in China, highlighting significant advances in research and development, as well as clinical translation of novel radiopharmaceuticals.
   
• Fibroblast Activation Protein Inhibitor Tracers and Their Preclinical, Translational, and Clinical Status in China
  Liang Zhao, Fei Kang, Yizhen Pang, Jianyang Fang, Long Sun, Hua Wu, XiaoLi Lan, Jing Wang, and Haojun Chen
  Zhao and colleagues offer an in-depth review of the evolution and use of FAP tracers in China, from preclinical to clinical research, including the expanding potential of FAP-targeted radionuclide therapy.
   
• Translational PET Imaging of Nectin-4 Expression in Multiple Different Cancers with ⁶⁸Ga-N188
  Jianhua Zhang, Xiaojiang Duan, Xueqi Chen, Zhuochen Zhang, Hongwei Sun, Jiayin Shou, Guangyu Zhao, Jianxin Wang, Yongsu Ma, Yinmo Yang, et al.
  Zhang and colleagues report on the feasibility of nectin-4–targeted PET imaging as a noninvasive method to quantify membranous nectin-4 expression in various tumor types—an approach with promise for patient stratification and treatment selection.
   
• Melanin-Targeting Radiotracers and Their Preclinical, Translational, and Clinical Status: From Past to Future
  Xiao Zhang, Zhaoguo Lin, Yuan Feng, Fei Kang, Jing Wang, and Xiaoli Lan
  Zhang and colleagues describe the features of melanin-targeted radiolabeled molecules as detailed in preclinical studies, clinical trials, and patient practice, with additional discussion of novel applications.
   

• Landscape of Nuclear Medicine in China and Its Progress on Theranostics
  Weidong Yang, Fei Kang, Yue Chen, Zhaohui Zhu, Feng Wang, Chunxia Qin, Jin Du, Xiaoli Lan, and Jing Wang
  Yang and colleagues review historic milestones and current status of nuclear medicine in China, including radioisotope production, radiopharmaceutical development, advanced instrumentation, and theranostic research.
   

• Recent Advances in Radiotracers Targeting Novel Cancer-Specific Biomarkers in China: A Brief Overview
  Jingming Zhang, Fei Kang, Xiao Wang, Xuejiao Chen, Xing Yang, Zhi Yang, and Jing Wang
  Zhang and colleagues review the exploration of novel imaging targets, preclinical evaluation of targeting ligands, and associated translational research in China from 2020 to 2023.
   

• The Role of Total-Body PET in Drug Development and Evaluation: Status and Outlook
  Xiangxi Meng, Xiangxing Kong, Lei Xia, Runze Wu, Hua Zhu, and Zhi Yang
  Meng and colleagues look at advances in total-body PET imaging and the impact of its introduction on drug development, novel tracers, and new clinical opportunities.
   

• Advantages and Challenges of Total-Body PET/CT at a Tertiary Cancer Center: Insights from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
  Wanqi Chen, Yinghe Li, Zhijian Li, Yongluo Jiang, Yingpu Cui, Jiling Zeng, Yiwen Mo, Si Tang, Shatong Li, Lei Liu, et al.
  Chen and colleagues document clinical experience with total-body PET at their institution, including diseases treated, patient selection, workflow, scanning protocols, and enhanced applications.
   

• Clinical Implementation of Total-Body PET in China
  Yaping Wu, Tao Sun, Yee Ling Ng, Jianjun Liu, Xiaohua Zhu, Zhaoping Cheng, Baixuan Xu, Nan Meng, Yun Zhou, and Meiyun Wang
  Wu and colleagues assess the use of total-body PET in China for both oncologic and nononcologic indications, highlighting recent technologic innovations and challenges to widespread clinical integration.
   

• Pathway to Approval of Innovative Radiopharmaceuticals in China
  Shuxian An, Lu Wang, Fang Xie, Dawei Jiang, Gang Huang, Jianjun Liu, Xiaowei Ma, Weijun Wei
  An and colleagues provide an overview of the approval process for novel radiopharmaceuticals by China’s National Medical Products Administration and the status of radiolabeled agents in research and development.

The JNM Molecular Imaging of Neurodegeneration Supplement is available at https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/65/Supplement_1.

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About JNM and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) is the world’s leading nuclear medicine, molecular imaging and theranostics journal, accessed more than 14 million times each year by practitioners around the globe, providing them with the information they need to advance this rapidly expanding field. Current and past issues of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine can be found online at http://jnm.snmjournals.org.

JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine and molecular imaging—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit www.snmmi.org.