2023-11-28 18:52:32
National leaders from centers linked to scientific development in health, including Cemener de Oro Verde, analyzed the present of the activity
For the first time, the representatives of different groups of the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) linked to nuclear applications to health, the production of radioisotopes for medical use and the academic area met with representatives of the nuclear medicine and radiotherapy centers of the National Plan Nuclear Medicine in two days of integration. The meeting was held between November 22 and 23 at the organization’s headquarters and at the Nuclear Diagnostic Center Foundation and Representatives of the Entre Ríos Nuclear Medicine Center (Cemener) took part in the initiative.
The conferences were organized by the Nuclear Health Applications Area Management of the CNEA, in order to strengthen the link between the different centers and of these with the CNEA. The participants, who came from all over the country, shared their knowledge, analyzed their common points and thought regarding possible joint work. All in order to tune strategies and links to continue advancing with research, development and training of human resources.
Participating in Cemener were Jesuana Aizcorbe, president of the Board of Directors, Marianela Pacheco, General Manager of the Foundation and Belén Moglia responsible for Teaching and Research.
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Cemens
During the meeting, bioengineer Jesuana Aizcorbeteaching and research coordinator of the Nuclear Medicine Centers, called for networking and stated: “At this moment it is very important to be able to meet once more to chat regarding the lines of teaching and research in which we have been working, to deepen them and think regarding how to continue the training of human resources. In this country we need many more professionals, more scientists and technologists and we have a lot to contribute in that regard.”.
At the opening of the meeting, the president of the CNEA, Adriana Serquis, stressed that during her administration it was decided to give a strong imprint to the Area of Nuclear Applications to Health due to its effect on improving people’s quality of life and so that research and development that takes place within the organism is used for that purpose.
“Our mission is to enhance the capabilities of the CNEA so that future professionals in the health area can be enriched with everything we have been learning. We hope that all the things that were done transcend us and that the system is nourished by all those who want to continue joining. We believe that people are expendable, but the projects and ideas must continue,” said Serquis. And he highlighted that, as happens in many areas of the CNEA, progress was made in nuclear medicine “thanks to the passion that people within the institution put into making things happen.”
“I want everyone to feel part of a project that will continue despite the changes that may come,” Serquis summarized.
Access to nuclear medicine and radiotherapy
The CNEA is in charge of the Planning and Execution Unit of the National Nuclear Medicine Plan and is the one that carries out the technical planning for the execution and development of the centers that care for patients in the different regions of the country.
Gustavo Santa Cruz, manager of the Nuclear Health Applications Area of the CNEA, highlighted: “The National Nuclear Medicine Plan has the vision of guaranteeing universal and quality access to nuclear medicine applications. The idea is to create centers, improve existing ones and develop an innovative management model through foundations and non-profit entities.” Later, he explained that the challenge now is to rethink the Plan “not only to foresee the future, but to make it possible.”
Santa Cruz, who has a doctorate in Physics, explained that it is essential to recover the role of the scientific-technical area within the framework of the plan and “generate strategies to develop sustainable projects that consolidate universal access to health.” In that sense, he said that they are working on a bill to declare it of national interest and consider the sustainable development of health applications as a priority.
Nuclear techniques have multiple applications for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Santa Cruz stressed that Argentina was selected as an anchor country for Rays of Hope, a program of the International Atomic Energy Agency that promotes the creation and expansion of radiotherapy, medical imaging and nuclear medicine services in its member countries to fight cancer. “This pole will be made up of all the institutions in the country with knowledge in nuclear medicine and radiotherapy and in research and development in nuclear applications to health. That is what we have to configure now, to be able to show it to the IAEA,” Santa Cruz said.
For his part, Juan Carlos Furnari, manager of Coordination and Planning of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy Centers, recalled that the CNEA was the first promoter of nuclear medicine in Argentina. “Before there was practically nothing. The CNEA began at the Roffo Institute and at the Hospital de Clínicas. The first centers were a school for all the nuclear doctors in the country, then the medical physics and radiopharmacy part was added. Another important milestone was the creation of Fuesmen (Nuclear Medicine School Foundation), in 1991, which gave rise to the foundation management model. And later the Nuclear Diagnostic Center Foundation appeared, inaugurated in 2007. Until 2015, the National Nuclear Energy Plan emerged.”
Within the framework of this plan, the Nuclear Medicine School Foundation (Mendoza) operates; the Nuclear Diagnostic Center Foundation (FCDN), the Nuclear Medicine Center of the “José de San Martín” Hospital de Clínicas and the Nuclear Medicine Oncology Center of the “Ángel Roffo” Oncology Institute in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires; the Entre Ríos Nuclear Medicine Center (Cemener), located in the town of Oro Verde (close to the capital of Entre Ríos, Paraná): the INTECNUS Foundation in San Carlos de Bariloche; and the Nuclear Medicine Center of Southern Patagonia (CEMNPA), among other services. The Argentine Proton Therapy Center is also being built, in front of the Roffo Institute, and the project has just begun to provide the Juan P. Garrahan Pediatric Hospital with a new radiotherapy and nuclear medicine service. Other projects in development are the recovery of the Oncology Center of Excellence (COE) of the Mainetti Foundation, in Gonnet, and the equipment of the Radio Oncology center of La Pampa.
Representatives of some of these centers spoke regarding their reality and their projects during the meeting. On Wednesday, representatives from the Department of Medical Physics of the Bariloche Atomic Center and the National Preclinical Imaging Laboratory (LANAIP), which the CNEA is building at the Ezeiza Atomic Center (CAE), also spoke. In front of all of them, Furnari stressed the importance of the link between them and with the CNEA and coordinated work, to be able to develop joint projects for the benefit of the population.
On the closing day, Gustavo Cruz spoke regarding the Argentine Proton Therapy Center, which will position Argentina within a select group of 20 countries that offer one of the most advanced radiation therapies to treat tumors. In addition, the dean of the Dan Beninson Institute, Carla Notari, detailed the academic offering of that educational center, which includes specializations in Radiochemistry and Nuclear Applications and in Radiotherapy Physics and a diploma in Radiomedicine and Radiological Protection. The need to generate a link between the nuclear medicine and radiotherapy centers, the CNEA and the academic institutes was also raised to be able to generate offers of new doctorates and careers taught in the centers themselves. In addition, there were presentations by those responsible for the nuclear medicine centers of Entre Ríos and Formosa and an explanation regarding Boron Neutronic Capture Therapy (BNCT).
The days ended with a visit to the Argentine Proton Therapy Center, which has already completed its civil work and is scheduled to open next year.
The bioengineers at the head of Cemener
Jesuana Aizcorbe graduated as a bioengineer from the Faculty of Engineering of the National University of Entre Ríos in 2005. She works at the National Atomic Energy Commission, in the Nuclear Health Applications Management, and as a teacher in the Chair of Radiodiagnosis and Radiotherapy of the Bioengineering degree. She is the president of the Board of Directors of the Entre Ríos Nuclear and Molecular Medicine Center Foundation (Cemener) of Oro Verde.
Marianela Pacheco graduated as a bioengineer from Fiuner in 2017. She began her relationship with the Foundation by completing her Supervised Professional Practice (PPS), the first one done between the Faculty and Cemener, and she also did her final project at the Center. After graduating, she joined the Foundation as an intern in the area of Processes and Procedures, following which she remained permanently. Since June of this year she has been General Manager of Cemener.
The Cemener Foundation was born in 2015 from the articulation of three public institutions: the Government of Entre Ríos gave the land for the construction of the Center, whose civil works were in charge of the Institute of Social Works of the Province of Entre Ríos (Iosper), while the Commission National Atomic Energy Agency provided the medical and technological equipment for its start-up.
The Foundation relied on three main aspects as Cemener services: diagnosis, treatment and teaching and research. Its many features include PET (positron emission) and SPECT (single photon emission) tomography, MRIs and ultrasounds. Among the treatments, chemotherapy, external radiotherapy, radiosurgery (practiced in very few places in the country) and high-rate brachytherapy, among others, stand out.
“The foundation came to make a difference in the region due to its high technological level and allowed a lot of services to be resolved here today that previously had to be derived outside the province. We even receive patients from other provinces and countries such as Paraguay and Bolivia. In addition, the place is very quiet,” said Marianela Pacheco.
For her part, Jesuana Aizcorbe highlighted: “There was a strong investment from the National State through the CNEA for the purchase of the equipment, which has been installed six years ago and continues to be top of the range and the most advanced. Added to the important contributions of Iosper and the Government of the province through the provision of benefits for its members and patients with limited economic resources. Without these investments we would not be able to do these practices.”
In an interview published by Fiuner, Aizcorbe praised the Cemener Foundation’s commitment to the training of professional human resources. “In any area, today human capital is a critical point, because there is a lack of engineers, doctors, among others.
The center employs regarding 110 people, including its permanent staff and the professionals who provide services. There are doctors, engineers, physicists, technicians and graduates in imaging, nursing, pharmaceutical, instrumentation, administrative and maintenance.
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