• GUEST: Metin Sitti, Koç University Istanbul

Welcome to Episode 18 of “Dive into Imaging Science”!
🎧 Tune in to hear from an inspirational figure and explore how medical devices – whether implanted or intravenously administered – are set to transform the world we live in..

In this edition, we are delighted to introduce a pioneer in the field of bio-inspired miniature robots: Metin Sitti.

A recurring theme across many of our episodes is the importance of working in a curious and inspiring environment, and much of Metin’s inspiration came from his time at UC Berkeley. Now the President of Koç University in Istanbul, he takes us on a journey through his career and shares his passion for improving health outcomes using miniature robots.

Metin works at the intersection of science, engineering, and technology through the creation of small-scale robotic and intelligent systems. These robots are being developed at a scale that allows them to be administered into the bloodstream and externally controlled to navigate hard-to-reach regions inside the body. His vision is that these innovations will open a new frontier in medical diagnosis and treatment.

🎯 In this episode, we discuss the development of a small bioadhesive ultrasound device for continuous monitoring over 48 hours. Published in Science from the lab of Xuanhe Zhao, the study describes the challenges overcome in developing such a device and its application in humans – including monitoring blood vessels, the lungs, heart, and stomach. Together, we explore the crucial role of materials science in creating this technology, raise philosophical questions about whether continual monitoring is desirable, and consider how this remarkable system could be improved in the future.

🍸 Tonight’s cocktail it’s named the Gecko Grip, inspired partly by traditions of Greece (Crete) and Turkey, so it had to be based on raki, and Metin’s pioneering work on gecko-inspired adhesion. It’s a precise blend of rakı, dry vermouth, fresh lemon juice.

Selected Publication: Wang C, Chen X, Wang L, Makihata M, Liu HC, Zhou T, Zhao X. Bioadhesive ultrasound for long-term continuous imaging of diverse organs. Science. 2022 Jul 29;377(6605):517-523. doi: 10.1126/science.abo2542. Epub 2022 Jul 28. PMID: 35901155.

Further information on the European Society for Molecular Imaging:
https://e-smi.eu/
Contact: office@e-smi.eu

• GUEST: Rodney Hicks, Melbourne

Welcome to Episode 17 of “Dive into Imaging Science”!
🎧 Tune in for a dynamic discussion on how NETTER-2 may reshape treatment strategies for neuroendocrine tumours, what it means for the wider field of theranostics, and where radioligand therapy is headed next.

For our seventeenth edition, we are at the stunning Certosa di Pontignano in Tuscany – the home of TOPIM, which focussed this year on Theranostics.

🎯 Suitably, we discuss one of the most important recent studies in the field of nuclear medicine and oncology — the NETTER-2 trial, published in The Lancet in 2024. This landmark phase 3 study was the first to investigate radioligand therapy as a first-line treatment in patients with advanced grade 2–3 gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. The results showed a dramatic improvement in progression-free survival and response rates compared with high-dose octreotide, setting the stage for radioligand therapy as a potential new standard of care.

To guide us through this groundbreaking work, we are joined by a very special guest, Professor Rodney Hicks, a global leader in PET imaging and therapeutic nuclear medicine. Over the past three decades, Rod has been at the forefront of bringing molecular imaging and theranostics from the research lab into routine clinical practice. He has played a pivotal role in shaping how PET is used to diagnose, monitor, and now treat cancer, and his vision has helped establish theranostics as one of the most exciting frontiers in oncology today.

The paper Markita selected for this episode, from Yulong Li’s lab and published in Science, features a sophisticated molecular sensor that reads out dopamine signalling in the brain via far-red fluorescence.

🍸 To top off our series of firsts, Giannis finally had a cocktail with us. For our first live recording, we wantedinitially to connect with Melbourne and Australia… maybe even F1-inspired. But after 10 minutes with Rod, we ditched that plan. His love of Greek mythology led us straight to Absinthe — named after Artemis herself.

Fast-forward to a wild hunt across Tuscany, ten taste-tests, and some brilliant Certosa bartenders later, we landed on:
The Siena Bliss — Absinthe, Mezcal, Aperol & lime: bold, mythical, and a little Tuscan magic.

Selected Publication: [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE plus long-acting octreotide versus high‑dose long-acting octreotide for the treatment of newly diagnosed, advanced grade 2–3, well-differentiated, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (NETTER-2): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 study.
Singh, Simron et al.The Lancet, Volume 403, Issue 10446, 2807 – 2817

Further information on the European Society for Molecular Imaging:
https://e-smi.eu/
Contact: office@e-smi.eu

• GUEST: Markita Del Carpio Landry, UC Berkeley

Welcome to Episode 16 of “Dive into Imaging Science”!
🎧 Tune in for a dynamic discussion on innovative probes work, the function of dopamine in the brain, and how these new imaging tools can be used in the future to reveal new biology.

This episode features a truly special guest: Markita Del Carpio Landry, the inaugural Trailblazer Plenary Lecturer at the upcoming EMIM in Ljubljana next March!

"The Trailblazer Lecture celebrates a rising leader in imaging science whose trajectory is unmistakably pointing toward lasting impact and excellence at the highest level. Markita is a perfect fit for such an accolade."

In the Landry lab, they have pioneered synthetic bio-mimetic nanocomposites for fluorescence imaging and targeted delivery of biological cargoes.

We talk with Markita about her career path, about the excitement to develop new imaging tools, and how gaining an academic position gave her the freedom to explore biological questions. We also discuss the importance of collaboration in science.

🎯 The paper Markita selected for this episode, from Yulong Li’s lab and published in Science, features a sophisticated molecular sensor that reads out dopamine signalling in the brain via far-red fluorescence.

The group describes how this innovative new tool can be multiplexed with other fluorescent readouts of acetylcholine and cyclic AMP. Starting in cells, before progressing to tissue sections, zebrafish, and finally in living mice, they demonstrate the ability to detect multiple neurochemicals simultaneously – quite a feat!

🍸 For this episode a cocktail to celebrate the inauguration of the trailblazer lectures and invites to our podcast. The Champagne Cocktail.

Recipe: A sugar cube in a flute glass, coated with Angostura bitters, then a shot of Cognac and top up with Champagne. A twist to the most loved celebration drink!

Selected Publication: Yu Zheng et al. In vivo multiplex imaging of dynamic neurochemical networks with designed far-red dopamine sensors. Science 388, eadt7705(2025). DOI:10.1126/science.adt7705

Further information on the European Society for Molecular Imaging:
https://e-smi.eu/
Contact: office@e-smi.eu