Throughout the event, CancerThera mobilized more than 30 volunteers, between undergraduate and graduate students and professors, who worked in the reception of visitors and in the conduct of activities. 

Programming
About 500 visitors participated in the activities promoted by CancerThera. The program included games and educational activities on radiation and cancer, in addition to a practical experience with a Geiger counter, which allowed participants to learn about an instrument used to detect and measure radiation and relate the concept to everyday situations.

One of the highlights of the program was the four thematic arenas — Cancerthera, basic research, preclinical research and clinical research. In these spaces, the visitors were able to learn about different stages of the scientific and technological development process, from the investigation of the mechanisms related to cancer to the stages of basic, pre-clinical and clinical research. The proposal was to show, in a didactic way, how different areas of knowledge connect to transform scientific discoveries into new strategies for diagnosis, treatment and care.

Diffusion
CancerThera’s participation in the 2026 UPA reinforces the project’s commitment to scientific dissemination, the formation of new talents and the democratization of knowledge in science and health. By providing practical and interactive experiences, CancerThera contributed to arousing the interest of children, young people, students and other visitors through scientific research and the different possibilities of acting in the area of health, science and innovation in cancer.

Text: Roberta Steganha

The post CancerThera participates in the 2026 edition of the Unicamp Open Doors Program (UPA) first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

The CNPEM is one of the main centers of scientific and technological research in the country, with multidisciplinary action and highly complex infrastructure. Its innovation area works to promote partnerships, research and technological development and technology transfer, bringing scientific knowledge closer to practical applications.

In this context, the approximation between Cancerthera and the CNPEM the possibilities of applying the research results and opens up new perspectives for the development of innovative solutions in the field of oncology.

The doctors professors participated in the meeting Pedro Paulo Corbi and Carmem Silvia Passos Lima, in addition to the technology transfer manager, Maria Carolina Santos Mendes; of the Project Executive Manager, Maria Elvira Pizzigatti Correa; and the Knowledge Diffusion Manager, Roberta Steganha.

The meeting reinforces Cepid Cancerthera’s commitment to the integration between science, innovation and society, strengthening collaborative networks and creating ways to transform knowledge and scientific discoveries into solutions with potential impact on health.

_{Text: ROBERTA STEGANHA}

The post CancerThera and CNPEM discuss paths for innovation and technology transfer  first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

The delegation, composed by Eduardo Leveque, Gilberto Ugalde and Julieta Roditi, visited the Hemocentro facilities, including its infrastructure and the research activities developed on site.

Subsequently, she was welcomed by Professor Doctor Carmen Silvia Passos Lima, which presented the main lines of research, technologies and projects developed by Cancerthera researchers, highlighting the six scientific products generated and the potential of application in the industry for the benefit of society. The technologies consist of an alternative device for ‘in vitro’ medical examinations, a breathing exercise equipment, a computer program to evaluate body composition, two topical administration metallodrugs and a therapeutic one.

The technology transfer manager also participated in the meeting, Maria Carolina Santos Mendes; the executive project manager, Maria Elvira Pizzigatti Correa; and the knowledge dissemination manager, Roberta Steganha.

The visit promoted the dialogue between Cancer Thera and LATAM Bioholdings, enabling the exchange of information about the research and technologies developed by the project and the identification of potential collaboration opportunities with the business sector. 

The initiative reinforces CancerThera’s commitment to research, innovation and technology transfer, expanding the possibilities of connecting with potential partners and transforming scientific knowledge into solutions with an application potential and impact on society.

_{Text: ROBERTA STEGANHA}

The post Latam Bioholdings visits Cancerthera to learn about research and innovation opportunities  first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

Giving practical life to an international cooperation agreement requires immersion, technical alignment and, above all, the direct encounter between researchers who share the same vision of the future for oncology. continuing the institutional partnership signed in February between CEPID CancerThera in the Uruguayan Center for Molecular Imaging (Cudim), a brazilian delegation made a new visit to Montevideo between the 27th and 29th of July.

Beyond simply strengthening ties, the delegation crossed the border to transform the memorandum of intent into a concrete work plan. The mission’s primary objective was to advance multicenter clinical trials, preclinical studies, theranostics [an approach combining diagnostic imaging and targeted tumor treatment into a single strategy], and educational cooperation.

An intense agenda of dialogue and translational science

With official reception led by Alarico Rodriguez — physician, specialist in health systems and evaluation of sanitary technologies and general director of CUDIM — and by Dr. Eduardo Osvaldo Savio Quevedo — radiopharmaceutical, technical director of radiopharmacy and associate professor at the center — The work agenda of Brazilian researchers on Uruguayan soil was designed to cover all stages of oncological development.

The program included in-depth practical immersions and complex case discussions. How does the Dr. Carmen Silvia Passos Lima, oncologist and hematologist, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the State University of Campinas (FCM/UNICAMP) and main researcher and coordinator of the innovation area at CancerThera, the uruguayan center serves as an international quality and safety reference for pre-clinical evaluations and clinics with radiopharmaceuticals. “The learning acquired, particularly in the quality assessments of the tests and procedures used by them, which dialogue directly with our investigations, will be of great value for the development of research in CancerThera”, she evaluates.

During the days of collaborative work, the Brazilian delegation joined local teams to discuss the improvement of radiopharmaceuticals — radioactive compounds used to detect and destroy tumor cells in a highly targeted manner — and new approaches to molecular imaging.

As highlighted by Dr. Leonardo Lima Fuscaldi, radiopharmaceutical, associate Researcher at CancerThera and professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa de São Paulo (FCMSCSP), the union of efforts accelerates the pace of discoveries: “I believe that when different research groups work together, knowledge advances faster. Visit to Cudim, we were able to exchange experiments on the development and application of radiopharmaceuticals aimed at tumors, which are medicines capable of locating and/or treating tumors in a very specific way”. 

In practice, the integration between research centers generates new perspectives for cancer care. As Fuscaldi explains, “this means that we will be able to accelerate the development of these technologies of ours and that this can improve the diagnosis by molecular imaging and make treatments by radionuclide therapy, using radiopharmaceuticals, more directed to the characteristics of each patient. All this collaboration between researchers has this main purpose”.

Education, exchange and perspectives

In addition to laboratory exchange, the mission consolidated decisive steps for the formation of new talents and the integration of academic staff. In the evaluation of the Dr. Maria Elvira Pizzigatti Correa, dental surgeon and postdoctoral student in executive management of the research in CancerThera, the integration goes beyond the laboratory bench. According to the researcher, “this inter-institutional synergy optimizes the full research and education cycle within the theranostic model, enabling the exchange of graduate students and bilateral participation in knowledge dissemination projects”. A work, evaluates Correa, that “paving the path of both institutions as international references in the personalized treatment of cancer”.

In line with this vision, Lima reinforces that researchers from the two institutions will act reciprocally in courses offered by both institutions. The cooperation gained immediate operational developments: visits by graduate students and researchers from CancerThera to Cudim were agreed with personalized programs, and the insertion of CUIM researchers is already underway as supervisors in the Graduate Program in Oncology at FCM/UNICAMP, strengthening the joint scientific production and the internationalization of postgraduate studies.

The narrowing of borders will also materialize in an international congress dedicated to Theranostics in Oncology, to be hosted at Unicamp next year and structured in collaboration with Cudim. In addition, proposals for pre-clinical and clinical projects were presented by the brazilian delegation and had receptivity by the uruguayan teams.

As Fuscaldi summarizes, reinforcing the value of the international experience for researchers in training and the approach of highly qualified teams in complementary areas, “in science, no one advances alone, and partnerships like this are fundamental to transform quality research into real benefits for society”.

_{Text: Xenya Bucchioni}

The post Strategic alliance between CancerThera and Cudim consolidates international partnership and opens borders for education and research first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

Imagine being able to see a tumor accurately and, with the same technology, diagnose and fight the disease by delivering a sure dose of radiation or medication only to diseased cells, saving the body’s healthy tissues. What seemed like science fiction a few years ago today shapes one of the most promising frontiers of medicine: theranostics – the theme of the special module presented by researchers from the CEPID CancerThera at the XXXV Academic Medical Congress of the State University of Campinas (COMAU 2026), held between August 7th and 8th at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp).

Right target in the fight against cancer 

Oncology is currently experiencing a period of rapid evolution, with generalized treatment models giving way to precision medicine — a therapeutic approach that tailors medical care based on the specific genetic and molecular characteristics of each patient and their tumor. Within this ecosystem, theranostics—a term combining “therapy” and “diagnostics” — represent an unprecedented technological milestone in Nuclear Medicine, a medical specialty that uses safe radioactive substances to diagnose and treat diseases.

In order to present in a didactic way the concept of therapeutics and its applications in scientific development, especially to the students of the medical course, the module “Therapeutics in Oncology: beneficial effects of radiation” it was structured in four linked lectures, unraveling the route that goes from the laboratory bench to the imminence of the clinical application.

The opening began with Dr. Adrhyann Jullyanne de Souza Portilho, biologist and post-doctoral researcher in clinical medicine at FCM/Unicam , who gave the lecture “Cancer Theranostics: concepts and applications”, introducing the main terms of the area and the therapists already commercially available.

When reflecting on the experience at the congress, the researcher highlights the enriching experience of being able to share knowledge about the use of radiopharmaceuticals in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. “Awakening the students’ curiosity at CoMAU and realizing their interest throughout the presentation was undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments, because disseminating this knowledge to the next generation of health professionals is a fundamental part of our work”, she says. 

From basic chemistry to preclinical tests

For precision therapy to work in the human body, molecular engineering requires a rigorous multidisciplinary gear. the second stage of the module presented the conception and synthesis of new compounds with the lecture “Metalopharmaceuticals: conception and synthesis’, presented by Ms. Francisco Mastrobuono Cordeiro de Almeida, PhD student in chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry at Unicamp, who detailed how professionals in the field idealize and develop new molecules and radiopharmaceuticals. 

As the researcher explains, the biggest challenge of this action lies in the complexity behind the design of new compounds, since this demands to find the ideal balance at the junction of a metal — such as platinum or palladium, which have favorable geometries for the interaction with DNA — with an adequate and compatible binder. In practice, basic research moves in the field of unpredictability: synthesizing a new molecule requires a strong basis in the literature, although biological success and the control of toxicities can only be fully measured step by step.

For Almeida, participating in the congress was an opportunity to expose to students that pharmaceutical innovation is built in a multidisciplinary way: “It was great to show students, for example, that a large part of the development of new drugs does not come only from Medicine, it comes from Chemists, from Physicists, Biomedical, Biologists”.

Subsequently, the module taught by CancerThera researchers deepened the structural bases of this gear through the evaluations in vitro and in vivo [testes laboratoriais realizados em células e, posteriormente, em modelos biológicos vivos para comprovar eficácia e segurança], with the lecture “Radiopharmaceuticals: Preclinical Assessments”, led by the Dr. Fabio Fernando Alves da Silva, biologist, biochemist, doctor in Nuclear Technology and post-doctorate at FCM/UNICAMP.

Regarding the work presented, Silva emphasizes the opportunity to share the preclinical research developed at CancerThera, addressing fundamental steps for the characterization and validation of new radiopharmaceuticals. “I chose to highlight the fundamental concepts of radiation, molecular and therapeutic image, as well as explain the in vitro and in vivo necessary for the development of radiopharmaceuticals, such as biodistribution studies and the evaluation of their diagnostic and therapeutic potential”, he explains. 

In his assessment of the event, the researcher points out that meetings like CoMAU are essential to bring students closer to scientific research and new technologies applied to medicine, promoting contact with areas such as statistics, chemistry and biological sciences. For Silva, these initiatives “shows how basic, preclinical and clinical research complement each other in the construction of a translational science, aimed at patients”.

Fighting the most challenging tumors

Dr. Carmen Silvia Passos Lima — an oncologist, professor at FCM/Unicamp, and principal investigator and innovation coordinator at CancerThera — concluded the module. Her lecture, “Anti-Integrin in Glioblastoma,” synthesized the journey outlined in previous presentations by demonstrating preliminary results from the development of a radiopharmaceutical with theranostic potential — combining an anti-integrin peptide, a DOTA chelator, and gallium-68 — aimed at combating glioblastoma, a highly aggressive primary brain tumor.

According to Lima, the main objective was to illustrate the students, in an accessible way, how all stages are connected in translational practice. “Together, it was presented in the module, in a simplified way, part of what is developed in research in CancerThera and the presentation of the promising results of the therapeutic potential for glioblastoma ended up closing it with “golden keys”, she evaluates. From different areas and the time dedicated to the development of a radiopharmaceutical for a single target made a strong impact and surprise in the audience. 

For the researcher, exposing real projects to future doctors fosters a more improved clinical insight into prescriptions and procedures, as well as being an impetus to attract young people to work in scientific research. The reflection of this approach could already be measured immediately after the end of the activities: “It is worth mentioning that it seems that this actually happens, as countless students came to us at the end of the module and this week asking for guidance to carry out scientific initiation in the area”, celebrates Lima.

_{Text: Xenya Bucchioni}

The post Module promoted by CancerThera brings knowledge of therapeutics in oncology for the XXXV Academic Medical Congress of Unicamp  first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), neglected systemic mycosis of high clinical and epidemiological relevance in Brazil, gained a powerful ally in the precise mapping of its severity. A new study conducted by researchers from the CEPID CancerThera demonstrated that molecular imaging technology by FDG PET/CT is able to detect more than twice as many bodily injuries as compared to conventional staging methods.

The work, entitled FDG-PET/CT Demonstrations superior detection of multiorgan involvement in Paracoccidioidomycosis compared with conventional staging and published in the scientific journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, points out that the tool redefines the panorama of the disease, with direct impacts on the medical management and treatment time of patients.

Expanded accuracy against a challenging mycosis

Popularly known as the “coffee planter disease”, paracoccidioidomycosis is contracted by inhalation of spores of the genus fungus paracoccidioides present on the ground. Although it primarily affects the lungs, the infection can spread silently and aggressively to multiple organs via lymphatic and blood pathways. The great clinical challenge lies precisely in the traditional staging[processo médico que consiste em avaliar a extensão, a gravidade e o grau de disseminação de uma doença pelo corpo para definir a melhor conduta terapêutica]: physical examination, serology and chest X-rays often underestimate the true extent of the parasitic and inflammatory load in the body, identifying isolated lung lesions while extrapulmonary foci go unnoticed.

To solve this gap, the research prospectively evaluated 34 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of PCM (among untreated individuals and individuals with suspected therapeutic failure). All participants underwent both standardized clinical-conventional staging and full-body examinations with FDG PET/CT.

The results obtained impress: “In our study, we observed that the PET/CT identified more than twice as many lesions compared to the conventional evaluation (150 versus 62), detecting, for example, new areas of disease involvement that had not been diagnosed with other Examinations, with emphasis on lymph nodes, lungs and adrenal glands. In addition, the PET/CT reclassified patients as having multifocal disease in 97% of cases and increased the proportion of cases classified as severe, from 70.6% to 91.2%, showing that the method can be more accurate in evaluating both the extent and severity of the disease”, details the researcher Pricila Gama da Cunha, PhD student in Internal Medicine at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at UNICAMP (FCM-UNICAMP).

The reclassification of paracoccidioidomycosis as a multifocal and severe condition brings direct reflexes to medical practice. As explains Dr. Plinio Trabasso, an infectologist and associate professor at FCM/UNICAMP, this conceptual change improves the understanding of the pathophysiology of the infection[mecanismos biológicos e celulares pelos quais os agentes agressores provocam o desenvolvimento e a evolução de uma doença no organismo]. As the specialist points out, the systemic disease has a “very intense inflammatory component, which explains the consumptive syndrome that accompanies the condition and precedes the diagnosis” – a serious clinical picture, characterized by marked weight loss, malnutrition, extreme weakness and progressive physical debilitation.

What the exam sees and the value of the metabolic biomarker

To understand how doctors can assess the severity of paracoccidioidomycosis, it is necessary to look inside the body through technology. The PET/CT scan uses a radioactive marker called FDG — a molecule analogous to glucose that “illuminates” the sites in the body where there is an accelerated consumption of energy. As both cancer cells and the foci of serious infections and inflammation expend a lot of energy, they stand out in the exam.

This is where quantitative and volumetric biomarkers come in: such as the metabolic volume of lesions (TMLV) and total glycolysis (TLG), advanced metrics evaluated in the study. In simple terms, instead of just taking a static ‘photo’ to see where the infection is, researchers can calculate, through software, the total volume and exact intensity of the diseased tissue spread across the body. Thus, if the patient has high metabolic volumes even after the start of treatment, this can indicate a therapeutic failure or resistance of the fungus, functioning as a “control panel” to guide doctors towards a more assertive conduct.

In addition to counting the number of lesions, the study explored advanced metabolic quantification through parameters such as SUVmax (maximum marked glucose capture), TMLV and TLG. The researchers observed that these numerical indices present a significant correlation with serological titles and with traditional inflammatory markers, such as the C-reactive protein (PCR) and the rate of hemosedimentation. According to Gama, “patients with suspected therapeutic failure had significantly lower values of TMLV and TLG compared to untreated patients, suggesting that these parameters accurately reflect the metabolic extent of the disease and its response to treatment”.

Another highlight of the study was the direct comparison with Gallium-67 scintigraphy, a nuclear medicine test already established in the traditional assessment: PET/CT demonstrated the ability to detect four times more sites of active infection, offering superior images in terms of anatomical resolution at a time of acquisition. considerably smaller.

As Dr. Celso Dario Ramos, nuclear physician, professor at FCM/UNICAMP and deputy director of CEPID CancerThera ponders, the central message of the article is that “neglected diseases do not only need new drugs, but also modern imaging technologies to make the correct diagnosis, the evaluation of the extent of the disease and the monitoring of the disease”.   

Public infrastructure and the strategic role of CEPID

To make research with this level of technical complexity and quantitative rigor viable, the technological rearguard played a decisive role. The advance obtained by the team directly reflects the infrastructure of CancerThera’s and the continuous support of FAPESP. According to Ramos, the study would not even exist without the PET-CT equipment, whose previous acquisition and the subsequent upgrade allowed not only the examinations, but also the recovery of the data for the quantifications and the generation of the article’s images. 

The researcher also highlights that the equipment used at Unicamp is one of the rare in the country dedicated exclusively to the care of patients in the Unified Health System (SUS). Emphasizing the importance of this use, Ramos argues that government investment in the expansion of PET-CTs aimed at the public network is an urgent step — not only to assess oncological diseases, but also for the assertive management of infectious and neglected endemic diseases, as is The case of paracoccidioidomycosis in Brazil.

With an eye on the future, the next steps of research involve validating these findings in multicenter studies with a greater number of patients. As Gama explains, these later works should “expand the degree of certainty of the evidence and define with greater precision in which clinical scenarios the PET/CT offers the greatest benefit”. In addition to confirming its role in the staging of the disease, the researcher states that “these studies should clarify how the PET/CT can guide more individualized therapeutic decisions, especially regarding the duration of treatment and the follow-up of specific organs.”

study technical sheet

ARTICLE: FDG-PET/CT Demonstrations superior detection of multiorgan involvement in Paracoccidioidomycosis compared with conventional staging.
Publication: Clinical Infectious Diseases (Oxford Academic)
Institutions: State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) — including the Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology and Oncology, Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences and the Center for Hematology and Hemotherapy (Hemocenter).
Financing: FAPESP
Researchers involved: Pricila G Cunha, Maria Emilia Seren Takahashi, Raquel SB Stucchi, Mariana Paixão Ribeiro, Thiago F Souza, Carmino Antonio de Souza, Barbara Juarez Amorim, Maria Luiza Moretti, Plínio Trabasso, Celso Dario Ramos.

_{Text: Xenya Bucchioni}

The post Cepid Cancerthera study proves that PET/CT with FDG surpasses conventional methods and reveals occult multiorganic involvement in paracoccidioidomycosis first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

When frontier science meets the market vision, the result is the acceleration of the future. It is with this spirit that CEPID Cancerthera celebrates the conquest of the LumiNova women’s team, composed of students from the ILUM School of Science — Gisela Ceresér Kassick, Lília Helena Gavazza Pessôa, Lívia Maria Barbosa de Aragão, Mariana Melo Pereira and Samarah Luiza de Medeiros Ramos — who took first place in the Unicamp Challenge 2026, also being the winner in the category popular vote. By choosing as the basis of your business plan the patent of the AGNMS complex — an innovative formulation that unites silver ions (AG) and the anti-inflammatory nimesulide (NMS) in a topical treatment focused on optimizing the fight against skin neoplasms — young entrepreneurs have shown that the innovation generated in the laboratories of the Center is ready to transform the oncological reality.

From the bench to the market: the potential of the AGNMS patent

The path that led to recognition in this year’s Unicamp Challenge has deep roots in scientific dedication. winning technology revolves around the applicatiov of the complex AGNMS in a device developed to optimize the treatment of cutaneous neoplasms, enhancing therapeutic efficacy and offering a more targeted care for skin lesions. What began to gain public form in 2022, when the pharmacological association’s potential was highlighted, it has matured in solidity and strategic value over the years.

In the Unicamp Challenge ecosystem, this patent is no longer just an academic asset and has gained commercial traction. Crossing this barrier, however, required vision and rigor. As the Dra. Ana Lucia Tasca Gois Ruiz, professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the State University of Campinas (FCF/UNICAMP), a researcher associated with Cancerthera and academic mentor of the team, one of the great merits of the process was to exercise this dual perspective: “Allow students to allow students to Think about the solutions presented in the patents both from a scientific point of view and from a business point of view”. 

The practical experience of this transition proved to be transformative for the students. As you highlight Mariana Melo Pereira, a member of the winning team, “Participating in the Unicamp Challenge was an opportunity to understand that a good technology, in itself, does not guarantee that it will reach the people who need it”. Based on the support of business and business mentoring offered on the competition platform, the students translated the physical-chemical complexity of the AGNMS into a viable model, realizing the need to look beyond the bench to “also thought about the needs of patients, the feasibility of the solution, in the market, in regulation, in investments and in how we could transform such a relevant research, idealized by CancerThera researchers, into a product with a real impact, that would reach the largest number of people”, explains Pereira.

The strength of translational research and the cancer ecosystem

Success in the award is not an isolated event, but the direct reflection of a structured environment for translational research [stage that seeks to transform laboratory discoveries into practical health applications]. Integrated with CancerThera, the development of AGNMS benefits from a multidisciplinary work in which Oncology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and technological innovation go hand in hand.

Following this route closely required immersion. According to Ruiz, who guided the group through online meetings and email exchanges, institutional support ranged from rescuing the history of patent development and sharing publications by the group of researchers linked to the study to connecting students with other members of the research front to clarify doubts about the level of technological maturity of the device. This technical rearguard ensured that the students understood the depth of what they were handling before projecting their commercial scalability.

The transforming role of mentoring and scientific entrepreneurship

More than celebrating a patent, the victory in the Unicamp 2026 Challenge crowns the importance of talent training and the culture of innovation. The competition works as a true incubator of mentalities, in which students are challenged to look outside the walls of the academy and project the impact of their ideas on the real world.

“As the focus is on training and research, the academic day-to-day does not always provide us with time and environment to think about issues directly related to how to transform the ideas and solutions obtained from research into business models that can be transferred to society. That is why this event organized by the INOVA agency is so relevant”, assesses Ruiz.

For the students, the academic experience has gained a new dimension. Pereira points out that the process allowed to put into practice classroom learning and that, by “watching workshops and training and talking to our mentors, we even managed to anticipate concepts and ideas that we would only see later in the course”.

Practical challenges were not lacking along the way. Among the barriers overcome by the team, Ruiz highlights that “one of the main challenges was to think about how to scale the production of the device from the information obtained during the research as well as to estimate the production costs”. In addition, the discussions delved into essential fronts linked to sustainability and bioengineering, going through details such as “the stability (shelf time) of the device containing the AGNMS complex and reverse logistics, that is, at the end of use which would be the most suitable destination for the device”, explains the researcher. 

Eyes in the future: the real impact on patients’ lives

Behind every innovation indicator and every successful business model, there is a humanitarian motivation. The advancement of therapeutic proposals such as the AGNMS complex aims, ultimately, to offer more effective, safe and accessible alternatives for the treatment of cancer patients facing skin cancer.

Overcoming barriers and demystifying scientific entrepreneurship is part of this journey. As the student summarizes Samarah Luiza de Medeiros Ramos, a member of the winning team, the achievement represented a turn of a personal key on the role of innovation. “Winning a challenge focused on innovation was an achievement for me, because I always felt that I didn’t fit into this environment. Today, however, I understand that innovation is, above all, to bring something good to society. When I started viewing innovation from that perspective, my outlook changed completely,” she reflects.

Ramos also highlights the pride of proposing solutions aimed at the public system: “I was able to participate in the development of a business model that proposes to bring a treatment to the SUS”. An experience that, according to her, leaves a legacy of encouragement for other students to believe in themselves. “So my message is: if you have an idea that can help someone’s life, do everything to make it a reality. Especially if you can do so in a way that is accessible to the greatest possible number of people”.

The Unicamp Challenge

Promoted annually by Inova Unicamp, the Unicamp Challenge has been consolidated as the main competition of business models based on technologies patented by the university. The initiative’s mission is to accelerate the culture of academic entrepreneurship, connecting the intellectual property generated in the campus laboratories with the market and society.

In the 2026 edition, the innovation marathon recorded expressive numbers: 324 enrolled were divided into 80 teams, bringing together participants from 54 different institutions. Among the dozens of competitors, six teams reached the final, disputing the categories of evaluation of the banking and popular vote — with the LumiNova team winning on both fronts.

The scope and strength of this edition are synthesized by Marina Silva, manager of Innovation and administration at Inova Unicamp: “Achieving the 16th edition of the Unicamp Challenge with participants from 14 Brazilian states and, for the third time in our history, bringing together representatives from the five regions of the country demonstrates the scope and relevance that the competition has achieved over the years. The audience record in the final, with more than 600 entries, which reinforces the growing interest in technological entrepreneurship and the potential of research developed at Unicamp”.

The researcher involved in the research that gave rise to the patent of the AGNMS complex were:

Carmen Silvia Passos Lima (Professor in Oncology at the Department of Internal Medicine at Unicamp)
Tuany Zambroti Cândido (Faculty of Medical Sciencies – Unicamp)
Raphael Enoque Ferraz de Paiva (Institute of Chemistry – Unicamp)
Silmara Cristina Lazarini FrajáComo (University of Araraquara – UNIARA)
Douglas Hideki Nakahata (Institute of Chemistry – Unicamp)
Nayara Aparecida Simei Aquaroni (University of Araraquara – Uniara)
Pedro Paulo Corbi (Institute of Chemistry – Unicamp)
Wilton Rogério Lustri (University of Araraquara – Uniara)
Ana Lucia Tasca Gois Ruiz (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Unicamp)
Karin Maia Monteiro (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Unicamp)
Joao Ernesto de Carvalho (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Unicamp)
Camilla Abbehausen (Institute of Chemistry – Unicamp)

College and Institute involved: 
Faculty of Medical Sciences – Unicamp
Institute of Chemistry – Unicamp
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Unicamp

Partner: University of Araraquara – Uniara

_{Text: Xenya Bucchioni}

The post From bench to podium: how CEPID CancerThera skin cancer innovation has achieved the Unicamp 2026 Challenge first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

This synergy between the events made it possible to unite the expertise of CEPID CancerThera in the production and scientific dissemination with the practical mission of RECONNeckt Association, which acts in the training of surgeons in complex procedures and in the promotion of humanitarian reconstructive surgeries, both dedicated to cases linked to head and neck tumors. 

Education, humanization and practice

The partnership between the initiatives brought an unprecedented dynamism to the event by integrating practical training into a program that simultaneously discussed high complexity oncological decisions. Through Tumor Boards, experts from different areas have debated real cases, demonstrating that the integration between oncology, surgery and reconstruction is vital to therapeutic success.. 

The event also reinforced rehabilitation as an essential pillar in the patient’s journey, which goes beyond the oncological cure, dedicating spaces for practical training with phonatory prostheses and solutions to challenges such as dysphagia and mucositis. By incorporating precision medicine in programming, he also reinforced the role of science in personalization of care, reducing side effects and increasing the assertiveness of treatments.

For the Dr. Fatima Cristina Mendes de Matos, head and neck surgeon, coordinator of the Head and Neck Surgery Service at the University of Pernambuco, coordinator of the event and founder of Reconneckt, this concern with practical training is central for residents and students. As she observed, direct contact with the specialty is what motivates the new generation of students: “It is at this age that we begin to present new technologies to young people, showing all the possibilities of care for the cancer patient”.

Who corroborates this view is Isabela Diniz, student of the Researcher in Medicine Program (MD-PHD) at Unicamp. Assiduous frequenter of the Julho Verde Symposium since its first edition, she highlights that the inclusion of practical activities this year represented a qualitative leap for her learning. According to Diniz, the format allowed “consolidating part of what we can see there in the clinical cases presented and apply here in practice”, which helps to establish the knowledge and make the experience more fruitful even for undergraduate students, despite the complexity inherent to the topics discussed.

Evolution and awareness: The impact on the tip

When reflecting on the trajectory of the Julho Verde, the clinical oncologist, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the State University of Campinas (FCM/UNICAMP) and a researcher associated with Cancerthera Dr. Lígia Taldi Macedo It points out that the growth of the event reflects an urgent need for the specialty. Three years ago, she recalls, “the first edition started with a symposium day, calling on some external guests. The second year followed the same format but saw higher registration numbers and greater demand for multidisciplinary discussion topics”. This year, Macedo, who is also one of the coordinators of the event, celebrated the presence of specialists from different areas and from all states of the country. “The program is growing more and more, and I hope it continues and gets bigger and bigger”, says the researcher, recalling that the essence of the Julho Verde remains the same, the promotion of the early diagnosis of head and neck cancer.

How to reinforce the head and neck surgeon Dr. Carlos Takahiro Chone, professor at FCM/Unicamp and researcher associated with the Center, the paradigm shift begins in the understanding that extreme cases have often had a silent start. “The great importance of Julho Verde, despite showing complex cases, is that future professionals see that these complex cases, once, were small cases”, he explains. According to Chone, early diagnosis is the greatest ally not only for survival, but for maintaining the patient’s quality of life.

For the Dr. Carmen Silvia Passos Lima, oncologist, professor at FCM/UNICAMP, main researcher and coordinator of the innovation area at CancerThera, the event fulfilled its purpose by sparking essential discussions: “Insights and updates were presented that are crucial for enabling physicians and other professionals caring for head and neck cancer patients—across both public and private sectors nationwide—to provide comprehensive, humanized care in the performance of their duties.”

The strength of multidisciplinarity
One of the consensus among experts throughout the event is that head and neck cancer is not resolved in isolation. Speaker at the event, Dr. Lucas Tenório, surgeon and head and neck specialist in Santa Casa de São Paulo, emphasizes that the multidisciplinary approach is an ethical imperative. “No matter how minor the problem may seen, when dealing with cancer, especially in the head and neck, the ideal is the multidisciplinary approach, with several medical professionals and even non-medical professionals involved in the care of the patient”, he evaluates.

This synergy was detailed by Dr. Maria Carolina Mendes, nutritionist, associate researcher and post-doctorate in Research Management – Innovation and Technology Transfer at CancerThera. For her, the success of the treatment depends on an accurate orchestration: “If we are thinking about rehabilitation, it requires doctors to have a very attentive look at what it means”.

Innovation and governance in the health area

The event was also the stage for urgent conversations, such as the role of technology in health in times of artificial intelligence (AI). Part of this conversation was present in the lecture of the oncological surgeon and specialist in head and neck surgery, Dr Francisco Araújo Dias, which took a step beyond medicine to complete an MBA in data science applied to health by the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein. For the specialist, the success of this digital scenario does not reside in the technology itself, but in the way it is applied in care: “Today, the tools of engagement for therapists are the ones that grow the most in the market because they help the patient to understand, in their own words, what he needs to do. “Medicas”, the tool helps you to better understand [the condition]”, he explains. 

Dias points out that, regardless of the modality — whether in person or telemedicine — the reception of a doctor or a nutritionist remains the determining factor for the technology to fulfill its role of taking the patient to the final destination of the treatment. More than tools, the specialist defends that Medicine needs ethical governance, ensuring the protection of patient data and, above all, the role of the doctor in the co-creation of these solutions. For him, the future of oncology depends on professionals who understand technological language without abandoning clinical practice, as it is in direct contact with the real challenges of the patient that the greatest innovations are born. 

With their eyes also on the future, Carmen Lima leaves a clear message to young professionals who today seek their space, whether in research or oncological assistance: “I believe that young professionals with a clinical focus should work in teams rather than individually, aiming to provide comprehensive care to head and neck cancer patients while respecting their personal choices. Meanwhile, efforts to develop the new drugs and therapeutic procedures needed to save the lives — and extend the life expectancy — of head and neck cancer patients will fall to those young professionals with a research-oriented profile,” she assesses.

_{Text: Xenya bucchioni | Photos: Romulo Santana Oshues} 

The post Science that transforms: 3rd Julho Verde Symposium and 1st Reconneckt Symposium join forces for oncological advancement first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

Dr. Elba Etchebehere, a nuclear medicine physician, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the State University of Campinas (FCM/Unicamp) and principal investigator at CEPID CancerThera, has been invited to join the editorial board of the scientific journal Seminars in Nuclear Medicine, one of the leading international journals focused on in-depth thematic reviews in the field of Nuclear Medicine.
“It is an honor to be part of the editorial board of a journal of such relevance,” celebrates the researcher.

The publication has wide indexing – including in databases such as PubMed/Medline, Thomson/ISI and Science Citation Index Expanded – and has shown significant growth: the journal’s CiteScore reached 12.0 in the most recent tracking, in 2025, and an impact factor of 5.9, in 2026. Each issue features expert reviews and commentaries on a single topic selected by the editors. The journal offers comprehensive coverage of the field, including PET, SPECT and other molecular imaging studies.

The new indices demonstrate the growing impact of Seminars in Nuclear Medicine, making it even more attractive: “The moment of expansion of the journal could not be more opportune. It has been demonstrating an increasingly greater impact, and recently receiving the news that our index reached 12.0 shows that the journal is significantly outperforming its performance of previous years,” says the new editor.

Latin America represented
Historically, Seminars in Nuclear Medicine has always had only two editors since its creation in 1971. However, starting this year, the board has been expanded to a total of eight members. In addition to the Brazilian Etchebehere, representing Latin America, the group now consists of editors-in-chief Mike Sathekge (South Africa; representing Africa) and Kirsten Bouchelouche (Denmark; Europe), along with Stefano Fanti (Italy; Europe), Ken Herrmann (Germany; Europe), Ora Israel (Israel; Asia), Grace Kong (Australia; Asia) and Francesco Giammarile (Italy; International Atomic Energy Agency).

Etchebehere emphasized this representation for the region: “Being part of this board increases the visibility of Latin American scientific production in a highly selective forum, allowing us to contribute directly to the curation of knowledge that guides clinical practice and research in our specialty, in our territory”.

^{Text: Romulo Santana Osthues}

The post Principal investigator at CEPID CancerThera, Elba Etchebehere joins the new editorial board of the scientific journal Seminars in Nuclear Medicine first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.

The event, held online, promoted a morning of immersion over one of the most promising areas of current oncology. To Ana Paula Morales, Master in Pharmacology, co-founder and director of Agência Bori, the adhesion of professionals highlights the relevance of the initiative: “The workshop showed how there is a real demand from journalists for qualified exchange spaces with researchers who are working on the frontier of knowledge. 29 participants and representatives of vehicles from all five regions of Brazil — including the national, regional and specialized press —, which reinforces the importance of expanding these connections”.

Vision of the future and social commitment

The opening was led by Dr. Carmino Antonio de Souza, onco-hematologist, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the State University of Campinas (FCM/UNICAMP), principal researcher and director at CancerThera, who outlined a critical overview of the incidence and epidemiological challenges of cancer in Brazil. Subsequently, the Dr. Celso Dario Ramos, nuclear doctor, professor at FCM/UNICAMP and deputy director of the Center, explored the new development pathways of radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The panel was completed by Dr. Bárbara Juarez Amorim, nuclear doctor, coordinator of the Nuclear Medicine Service of the Hospital de Clínicas da Unicamp and associated researcher and manager for the dissemination of knowledge in Cancerthera, who detailed the concept of “theranostic” — the integration between diagnosis and therapy in the same nuclear medicine strategy. According to the researcher, this diffusion is an institutional priority: “Therapeutics is the center of the research we have developed, and it is still a little known term, often even within the academic environment. They are safe”, she says.

Amorim also highlights that the theatology is one of the pillars of precision medicine, acting as a targeted therapy capable of destroying tumor cells in an extremely accurate way, without affecting healthy tissues and organs around it, a technique that already presents consolidated results in cases such as prostate cancer and tumors neuroendocrine.

In Souza’s assessment, the event touched on a critical point in public health. “I believe that the first and most important message is that coping with cancer is the greatest challenge that humanity lives in the present and will live in the future. Longevity, combined with the lifestyle habits we adopt, are factors that will prevent the number of cases from decreasing, no matter what we do”, the researcher points out.

Science without mysteries

The initiative arose from the need to translate complex concepts, such as the role of radiopharmaceuticals — substances that are able to accurately diagnose and treat tumors. The approximation between communicators and scientists was also guided with the aim of demystifying the area, especially the stigma surrounding nuclear medicine. According to Ramos, the term usually causes strangeness or unjustified fear in the lay public. “Nuclear Medicine, although it draws attention, sometimes scares it for not making it clear what the specialty does. And what we do is study how molecules are distributed throughout the body”, he explains.

About unfounded fear in relation to radiation, Ramos is assertive: “Like any substance, in inadequate doses, it is harmful. However, in controlled and adequate doses, it is a powerful and essentially beneficial tool for the patient”.

The value of scientific literacy

In addition to the technical exhibition, the workshop also functioned as an open dialogue space and exchanges on the difficulties of daily science coverage. the Dr. Moura Leite Netto, journalist and director of Sensu Consultoria de Comunicação, an agency specializing in science, health and education, highlighted the value of the immersion provided by the event: “Although precision medicine is a topic present in the media, therapeutics is still little known outside specialized circles. CancerThera significantly expanded my view on the diversity of radioisotopes that have been studied, and it was an opportunity to deepen a highly promising topic that, in my assessment, still receives less attention from the press than it deserves”.

For the journalist, who has a long trajectory in covering topics related to health and science, this direct contact is an antidote against misinformation. “The routine of science journalism is dynamic, and professionals are not always able to dedicate themselves exclusively to the area. Initiatives like this contribute to high-quality professional updating, broaden one’s repertoire, and help contextualize findings that might otherwise often be misinterpreted”, he notes.

The success of the initiative reaffirms the importance of strengthening these relationships. After all, as Morales points out, “the direct contact between journalists and researchers makes it possible to deepen debates, clarify doubts and offer a more complete view on areas that are advancing rapidly”. 

_{Text: Xenya Bucchioni}

The post Scientific diffusion and literacy: workshop on radiopharmaceuticals brings researchers and the press together first appeared on CEPID CancerThera.