The MSc in Radiopharmaceutics & PET Radiochemistry at King’s College London is unique, not only in the UK but worldwide. Radiopharmaceutics is a growing international industry facing a major skills shortage, and graduates from this programme are in demand, whether in hospitals preparing radiopharmaceuticals for cancer patients, in research in universities or in the pharmaceutical industry - which is increasingly using PET (Positron Electron Tomography) as a drug development tool.
Imaging Equipment Ltd of Bristol, UK, and Eckert and Zeigler, Berlin, Germany (the manufacturer of the Modular Lab System) have loaned a Modular Lab System to use on the course. The Modular Lab is a shielded automated synthesis module which enables radio pharmacies to manufacture new radiopharmaceuticals on site.
Jeevan Virk, Sales and Product Manager at Imaging Equipment Ltd said
“We are very pleased to be able to loan this equipment to Kings College and St Thomas’ for this course. We hope the hands on experience will prove invaluable to the students”.
Phil Blower, Professor of Imaging Chemistry, Kings College London;
“The chronic shortage of trained staff in radiopharmaceutical chemistry and radiopharmacy has become more acute due to the recent sudden growth in PET cyclotron facilities worldwide. The aim of the MSc is to attract graduate physical scientists into the field and train them for the production and R&D workplace”.
“Automated radiochemical synthesis equipment is usually located in busy industrial or hospital radiochemistry laboratories where the training of significant numbers of students is impractical. The new arrangement with Imaging Equipment Ltd whereby a Modular Lab synthesis unit is provided specifically for student training means that our graduates arrive in the workplace or research lab equipped not only with a rigorous theoretical knowledge of the principles of automated synthesis but also with practical hands-on experience of both hardware and software. This gives our programme a unique value and credibility and gives our graduates a head start in the job market”.
Cancer Research UK is one of the major sponsors of the programme. The programme provides opportunities for students to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in the principles and practice of radiopharmaceutical science, manufacturing and quality assurance or radiopharmaceuticals, and to obtain an appreciation of the design and operation of accelerator machines (including cyclotron), synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals from cyclotron-produced radionuclides, application of radiopharmaceuticals in biomedical research and other aspects of clinical nuclear medicine.
The purpose of the course is to educate, train and equip students from a chemistry, pharmacy or related background to enter employment as radiopharmaceutical scientists in a PET radiochemistry centre (cyclotron unit) or in a conventional radiopharmacy, providing diagnosis and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals to nuclear medicine centres or specialised commercial centres, or to study for a PhD in the field.
For more details about the course and admissions please contact Sheila.foolheea@kcl.ac.uk
For more details about the Modular Lab system please contact info@imagingequipment.co.uk
Posted on 20 Feb 2008
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