Riding the pipeline of personalisation in new nuclear medicines
If you’ve been impacted by prostate cancer, the term ‘theranostics’ is probably at the top of your news list. The rapidly emerging treatment modality combines therapy and diagnostics to improve our understanding of each man’s cancer, and how it can be effectively treated, heralding a complete transformation of care.
Impressively, Australia has rapidly established itself as a global pioneer in the field, with clinical trials such as the ProPSMA study and TheraP delivering groundbreaking findings that have helped to establish new standards of care locally and globally.
In this vodcast, we bring together experts and survivors to talk about theranostics and you – knowing when to go nuclear, and whether it will work.
This vodcast will be hosted by Matt Britland, President of the APPA. Matt will be interviewing David Cade, Chief Executive Officer of Telix Asia Pacific; Associate Professor Shahneen Sandhu, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Researcher at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre; and Will McDonald, advanced prostate cancer survivor and PCFA Ambassador.
HOST
Matthew Britland
President, Australian Pharmaceutical Medical and Scientific Professionals Association
Matt is the President of the Australian Pharmaceutical Medical and Scientific Professionals Association (APPA), the representative association for Medical Affairs Professionals of Australasia. He is also the Managing Director of MedWise Consulting, a specialist practice focused on medical affairs, medical and scientific communications, and patient engagement. Matt is an experienced medical affairs leader and Medical Director with a demonstrated history of working in the pharmaceuticals industry and clinical roles for over 20 years. Skilled in Pharmaceutical Medicine, Oncology and Haematology, Matt is a strong professional with a MMedSc focused in Pharmaceutical Medicine from UNSW Australia. He is currently undertaking a PhD on the role of Medical Affairs in the Quality use of Medicine (QUM) and its impact on patient outcomes.
PANELLISTS
David Cade
Chief Executive Officer, Telix Asia Pacific
Dr Cade has over 20 years of experience as an industry physician spanning the fields of novel biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Prior to joining Telix, David held senior executive roles at Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), where he served as Chief Medical Officer, and at Sirtex Medical Limited (ASX: SRX), where he served as Chief Medical Officer and in other senior roles across the US, Europe and Australia, gaining deep experience in the Oncology, Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine therapeutic areas. Earlier in his career David trained in surgery at Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne and worked at management consultancy, Booz & Company across the Asia Pacific. David holds an MBBS from Monash Medical School, an MBA from Melbourne Business School and ESADE Business and Law School Barcelona, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Shahneen Sandhu
Consultant Medical Oncologist and Researcher at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Associate Professor Shahneen Sandhu is a consultant medical oncologist and a leading clinician researcher with a full-time appointment in the melanoma/skin and
uro-oncology units at the Peter MacCallum Centre, Melbourne. Her research is currently focused on the design, conduct and analysis of early clinical trials with novel drugs that aim to co-develop predictive biomarkers in conjunction with therapeutics in order to personalise treatment and improve patient outcome. Her training and research experience have provided her with a diverse range of skills in the conduct of clinical and translational research studies. She has led trials from phase I concept development all the way to registration of the compound and companion diagnostic for optimal patient selection. She currently leads several multicentre investigator-initiated trials and multiple collaborative biomarker translational projects evaluating the immune landscape in melanoma, merkel cell carcinoma and prostate cancer. Associate Professor Sandhu has >192 peer reviewed publications including, 39 first or last author publications in premier journals. This work has largely focused on the development of Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in ovarian, breast and prostate cancer, evaluating immunotherapy combination therapies and immune related toxicities and developing prognostic and predictive circulating biomarkers (circulating tumour cells, circulating tumour DNA, mRNA) in prostate cancer and melanoma.
Will McDonald
Presenter/Reporter/Producer, Nine News
Will McDonald is a Nine News presenter, reporter and producer. He presents the 6pm weekend bulletin for Nine News in Adelaide and the afternoon weekday news. Born in Adelaide, Will’s media career began in 2000 in Port Lincoln for Southern Cross News. Writing, filming and editing his own stories, he then moved to Port Pirie to host the local news bulletin. In over two decades of journalism, Will has covered major Australian news stories, from ground-breaking medical research to catastrophic bushfires. Outside of work, he’s a motorcycle enthusiast who loves adventure, including hiking, mountain climbing and skydiving as often as he can. Will was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in July 2020 at the age of 42 and is determined to beat it. He and his partner Samantha welcomed their first son in January 2023, a baby boy named Alfie, and he recently completed his first Ironman event, raising over $25,000 for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
