Thuy Tran

Thuy Tran

Principal Researcher
Visiting address: BioClinicum J5:30, Visionsgatan 4, 17164 Solna
Postal address: K7 Onkologi-Patologi, K7 Forskning Tran, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Work summary:

    I obtained a PhD in 2009 from Uppsala University and received my Docent/readership in 2016 from Lund University in experimental oncology with a focus on molecular imaging and radiochemistry. 

    I have more than 15 years’ experience in both preclinical and clinical research in the fields of nuclear medicine, radionuclide production, molecular imaging, and antibody-based theranostics. Currently, I lead the TRANslational Theranostics group, which is dedicated to advancing theranostics - an elegant approach that seamlessly integrates diagnostics and therapy in one solution, revolutionizing precision medicine in cancer management. Clinically, I am heading the newly established Theranostics Trial Center at Karolinska since 2024, where the focus is to translate radiopharmaceutical developmens from bench to bedside. 

    Education summary:
    2005 Master of Science in Pharmacy, Uppsala University

    2008 Master Degree in Medical radionuclide techniques, Uppsala University

    2009 Ph.D. Degree, specialized in Molecular imaging and radiometal chemistry, Uppsala University

    2016 Docent in experimental oncology, Lund University

Research

  • My research group focuses on the development of theranostics, i.e. radiopharmaceuticals for precision diagnostics, therapy and monitoring of diseases, with the emphasis in oncological diseases. We conduct studies to identify new targets and screen for new drugs for cancer treatments. In parallel, we perform novel developments of non-conventional radiometals using solid target on cyclotron, novel radiotracer developments, and biological evaluation studies in vitro and in vivo to clinical translation.

    We are a multidisciplinary team consisting of pharmacists, radiochemists, medicine doctoral students, medical physicists, biologists and oncologist. We collaborate closely and broadly with other research groups for generating drug screening, target identification, and clinicians, oncologists, and radiologists for clinical translation.

Teaching

  • > 160 hrs of teaching since 2010, in cluding teaching, lecturing and supervision on different courses on basic, advanced, doctoral and specialist levels.

    > Course responsible for "Radiofarmaka, 3 hp" in Bachelor's program in Biomedicine from 2025. 

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2024 - 31 December 2027
    Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) have poor prognoses with low survival rates. Treatment options for these metastatic solid tumors have been expanded through the introduction of checkpoint inhibitors (such as atezolizumab and pembrolizumab), systemic chemotherapy, or antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) directed against cell surface proteins like TROP-2 (Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2).A promising approach is to develop radiotheranostics using radiolabelled novel antibodies that target TROP-2 expression, a protein highly expressed in both TNBC and mUC. The concept utilizes  a TROP-2 specific monoclonal antibody, radiolabelled with alpha- or beta particle radiation for therapy or radiolabelled with gamma och positron radiation for diagnostics. This approach delivers therapeutic quantities of radioactivity specifically to the tumor cells while sparing normal tissues. The same antibody, radiolabelled with diagnostic radionuclides, tumors are detected by imaging modalities that are currently used in clinical practice. We believe that targeting TROP-2 with radiotheranostics might provide an effective treatment option with a favourable toxicity-benefit balance, and might be a better option for patients who do not respond to ADC or other later line systemic therapies. The project is currently in preclinical development and has high translational feasibility into patients within 4-5 years.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2023 - 30 November 2026
    Neuroblastoma is the most common and most devastating solid tumor in children. Despite intensive multimodal therapy, long-term survival in high-risk disease is only 50% and chances of survival after a relapse are dismal. Neuroblastoma is a radio-sensitive tumor, making targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy attractive, by delivering radiation to the cancer cells, wherever they reside in the body. We are leading a European multicenter trial where the efficacy of radiopharmaceutical therapy with 177-Lutetium, is being assessed in high-risk neuroblastoma in children (LuDO-N trial). One of the greatest challenges is that patients who experience a relapse are severely weakened by the cancer and by previous therapy, and optimally this type of treatment should be given at an earlier time point. For this purpose, we aim to develop radio-pharmaceutical therapy based on 225-actinium or 211-astathine, that emits a significantly higher radiation energy within a very congined space, to deplete single, or small clusters of metastatic cells and thus prevent metastatic relapses. The overriding aim is to generate data to support a future clinical trial that utilises targeted α-particle therapy early in the course of the disease. By controlling the systemic disease early, we believe that the cure rates in high-risk neuroblastoma could be significantly improved. We aim to translate our results into a clinical trial in humans, within a time period of 5-10 years.
  • Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2023
    In Sweden, approximately 10,043 breast cancer diagnoses were made in women in 2020 and 1,385 women died of breast cancer in the same year. There is a great need for new and improved treatment options for disseminated breast cancer, and especially for women with disseminated triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is a fast-growing disease that has the shortest expected survival of all breast cancer subtypes. One way to improve survival is the use of target-seeking radioactive drugs, suitable for both nuclear medicine diagnostics and molecular radiation therapy, so-called theranostic preparations and today constitute new treatment regimens in precision medicine. The overall aim of our multidisciplinary and translational project is to develop a diagnostic and a therapeutic method based on targeting radioactive antibodies that specifically bind to the TROP2 cell surface receptor, which is abundant in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). In collaboration with Scilifelab, we are developing new specific antibodies that can be labeled with a radioisotope of gamma or positron radiation for diagnostics with nuclear medicine imaging techniques. The same antibody can be labeled with a radioactive alpha or beta radiation to irradiate tumors and thus treat cancer. The project is currently in the preclinical phase, i.e. the development of these drugs takes place through tests in cancer cells in vitro and in animal models. We hope within a short time (3-5 years) to be able to go ahead and test the method in a so-called 'first-in-human' study in patients with disseminated TNBC. We hope that the method will be gentle with fewer side effects compared to existing treatments, and will provide a significantly prolonged survival to the best possible quality of life. If the method works, it can also be evaluated for other types of cancer (eg ovarian-prostate, lung cancer) as this particular receptor is also expressed to a high degree in these cancers.
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2022
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2021 - 31 December 2021
  • Clinical implementation of improved PSMA-based radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis and treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
    Region Stockholm
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2019
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2018 - 31 December 2020

Employments

  • Principal Researcher, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-

Degrees and Education

  • PhD, Docent, Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 2016

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