Cancer diagnostics and treatment may become more effective in the near future with the help of isotope applications, the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research's Radiation Application Technology Center (RATC) said yesterday at a press conference.
"Cancer has been Taiwan's leading cause of death for more than 25 years, but by developing new technologies the RATC can help the medical sector reduce incidents of late diagnosis, as well as increase the effects of existing drugs," the center's isotope application division associate scientist Luo Tsai-yueh (羅彩月) told reporters.
So far the center has achieved preliminary results for both pharmaceuticals and medical equipment such as an early-stage breast cancer scanner set to hit the market by the end of the year.
"Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of female mortality in Taiwan, but most of the deaths are due to late discovery of the disease," Luo said, adding that first-stage breast cancer prognosis has a near-100 percent survival rate.
"The scanner images with FDG, which is a glucose analog that would be consumed by glucose-hungry cells such as brain or cancer cells," Luo said.
With the fluorine in the FDG molecule emitting radioactive traces, the substance can be injected into the body to show the distribution of cancer cells on a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner, even at their early stage, Luo said.
The new breast cancer scanner has two other strong appeals compared with its predecessors, Luo said.
"With Taiwanese culture in mind, the scanner is compact and mobile so that it can tour community centers and help women who are too shy to visit hospitals to get regular checkups," Luo said.
"Also, the machines are significantly cheaper than traditional models. We are not targeting the VIP market. We want everyone to be able to reap the benefits," she said.
The center is also working on target therapy drugs for cancer, conjugating monoclonal antibodies with therapeutic radioisotopes, Luo said.
"Currently monoclonal antibodies are one of the most commonly used drugs to battle cancer. By using radioisotopes, the drug works more effectively because the body's natural antibodies are not combating the tumor cells on their own. Radiation emitted by the radioisotopes carried by the compound also have curing effects," she said.
The compound had achieved preliminary success in rats and will enter clinical trials soon, she said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it