Date of birth: 17/03/1955

BIOGRAPHY

Giovanni Paganelli is an Italian nuclear medicine specialist who has pioneered the use of radioisotopes in several applications in cancer.

A graduate of the University of Bologna, he first specialised in geriatrics but moved into nuclear medicine while at Maurizio Bufalini Hospital in Cesena, and took up a fellowship in the UK at London's Hammersmith Hospital where he worked on radioimmunotherapy targeting methods using monoclonal antibodies, with medical oncologist Agamemnon Epenetos.

The work had been sparked by a demonstration by David Goldenberg in 1973 of the targeting of tumour antigens by radiolabelled antibodies. Paganelli's contribution was to overcome the limitation that radiolabelled antibodies would go everywhere in the body.

The idea was to add a pre-targeting stage – first targeting the cancer cells with a non-radioactive antibody, which clears from the rest of the body, then delivering a radiolabelled molecule that is attracted by the antibody. The aim was to deliver a more effective dose to the target, while minimising side-effects. A powerful, natural system he has made use of is avidin-biotin to target radioisotopes to tumours.

Paganelli then worked in nuclear medicine at the San Rafael hospital in Milan, before being asked by Umberto Veronesi to set up a department at the then new European Institute of Oncology (Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, IEO), where his initial targeting research was in high-grade brain tumours.

His most well-known work is in breast cancer, where with Veronesi and others at IEO he developed techniques for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and radioguided occult lesion localisation (ROLL).

Experience with ROLL and radionuclide therapy with the avidin–biotin pre-targeting system in brain tumours led to intra-operative avidination for radionuclide therapy (IART) in breast cancer. Here, the surgeon injects avidin during surgery and then next day the patient receives radiolabelled biotin that goes to correct location in the breast. Paganelli reported this as capable of controlling recurrence as effectively as external beam radiotherapy.

In 2013, Paganelli joined the Romagnolo Institute for the Study of Tumours (IRST), Meldola, where he has led nuclear medicine research in several other cancers, including prostate and neuroendocrine as well as brain and breast.

Among his honours is the Marie Curie award in 1998 from the European Association of Nuclear Medicine for his work on SLNB in breast cancer.

See also Cancer World profile of Giovanni Paganelli, his article on SLNB, ROLL and IART in early-stage breast cancer and a CV.