The Unicamp Clinical Hospital will gain a new Nuclear Medicine area this Friday (10) and will have equipment that uses artificial intelligence resources to obtain high-quality and precise 3D whole-body images. Called SPECT/CT-CZT, the device is the first to be installed in a public hospital in Latin America and features technology based on CZT (Cadmium-Zinc-Tellurium) detectors, considered the biggest revolution in nuclear medicine in recent decades. The entire new service structure is already available to the public.
The equipment offers a highly precise image of the human body, as it not only visualizes the organ but also reveals how it is functioning in real time. The new SPECT/CT technology also ensures that images are obtained using radioisotopic elements four times faster than conventional equipment, thus reducing patient discomfort.
The rector of Unicamp, Paulo Cesar Montagner, participated, on Thursday (9), in the unveiling of the plaque inaugurating the new area made by the state government, in Campinas. “Unicamp has a long history of work in this area at Unicamp, about 30 years. In fact, we have a pioneering role as a university and in its research, and as a university hospital and in its assistance area. Now, with this increase, we will have even better conditions to continue working at the frontier of knowledge,” said the rector.
The new equipment was acquired for R$ 8,6 million with funds from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), through the CancerThera Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (CEPID). This center brings together an entire research chain for the development of drugs and radiopharmaceuticals to be used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and is based at the Unicamp Hemocenter. The cost was also covered through parliamentary amendments allocated by federal deputies Adriana Ventura, Kim Kataguiri, Paulo Freire, and former deputy Katia Sastre.
The state health secretary, Eleuses Paiva, pointed out that the equipment will be fundamental for the better functioning of the new nuclear medicine area at Unicamp. "The University will be able to develop not only in the healthcare sector, but also in research. And that is very important for Brazil," he said.
Nuclear medicine
The total investment for carrying out the adaptations in the Nuclear Medicine area was R$ 2,1 million, executed with resources from Fapesp. The Foundation's investments also included an upgrade package worth US$ 400 for another piece of equipment in the area, the PET/CT scanner.
According to Bárbara Juarez Amorim, coordinator of the Nuclear Medicine area at HC-Unicamp, the investments made in Nuclear Medicine in recent years position the hospital's service as one of the most important in the country, with state-of-the-art technologies available to the SUS (Brazilian Public Health System).
“The new SPECT/CT-CZT represents the state of the art in innovation, with the capacity to perform precise cancer diagnoses, including internal dosimetry for therapeutic planning, in addition to providing greater patient comfort, especially for oncology patients, and the possibility of reducing the dose of radiopharmaceuticals used in these types of exams,” he explains.
CancerThera coordinator Cármino de Souza says that the completion of this modernization project comes after four years of planning and that the area was structured to be multi-institutional (Unicamp, HC, Hemocentro, Fapesp), due to the relevance of the investments, scientific production, and assistance.
“SPECT/CT-CZT technology will significantly expand scientific, technological, and educational possibilities, especially in the field of theranostics (therapy and diagnosis), in addition to providing substantial healthcare benefits for the HC,” explains Souza.
Event
On Friday afternoon, the space was officially handed over at the HC (Hospital das Clínicas). The event was attended by the rector Paulo Cesar Montagner; the general coordinator of the University, Fernando Antonio Santos Coelho; the state secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation, Vahan Agopyan; the president of Fapesp, Marco Antonio Zago; as well as several other authorities, including parliamentarians who made the transfer of funds possible.
“This technology will help people and generate quality knowledge, something that benefits the population. This new area will make a huge difference not only for the development of research, but also for the speed and accuracy of diagnoses. Everyone knows that the earlier the diagnosis, the greater the chances of a cure,” celebrated Coelho. “I am very pleased because, first, there was a joint effort to obtain the resources, including legislative support. Secondly, the structure was installed in a public and university hospital that is a reference point, where teaching plays a fundamental role. Thus, we will combine service to the population, research, teaching and outreach,” added Secretary Vahan Agopyan.
Marco Antonio Zago highlighted the new area of nuclear medicine as a model for investment. "This project is an example of how FAPESP uses the money it receives," he pointed out.
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