Medical Delta Appointment: ‘We do it together, for the patient’

The research by Prof. Dr. Lioe-Fee de Geus-Oei provides valuable information for tailor-made cancer treatment. She is a physician in nuclear medicine and works with innovative molecular imaging technologies and “physiotherapy”, using the same set of molecules for diagnosis and treatment. De Geus-Oei was already a professor at LUMC and the University of Twente. She is now also appointed as a Delta Professor of Medicine at TU Delft. “Talking with people from other disciplines always makes me very humble, because then I notice how differently they look at the same issue and how surprised I am at their point of view.”

“For me, the appointment as a professor at Medical Delta is a very good recognition that the field of nuclear medicine is moving so beautifully at the interfaces of medicine, physics, chemistry and pharmacology,” says Lioe Fee de Geus-Oei. “Our staff and scientific society have been around for many years and this combination of professionalism and interdisciplinary collaboration is in our capillaries. This is one of the strengths of our profession and, as far as I am concerned, should always remain that way.”

With her official appointment as a professor at Delta Medical School, De Geus-Oei expects to ramp up and consolidate what she already does in the long term. “Making contacts and sharing data easier. It pays to invest in each other and you can build confidence in each other’s knowledge and skills. So this collaboration provides an expansion of research possibilities. I am very happy to be a part of this.”

Can you tell us briefly about your experience?

Our research focuses on better patient selection in cancer treatment, with the goal that patients receive only a specific treatment that actually benefits them. Medicines you give to patients often act on the receptors. However, you don’t know if those receptors are present in that specific patient. A biopsy can provide information about this in an invasive way. However, this only tells us something about one sub-region of an individual lesion at a specific time point. Our method visualizes the whole body. You can repeat this several times during the disease process. In this way you can view all body lesions in a non-invasive way, measure whether a particular patient has good expression and determine whether that patient is suitable for a particular treatment.

Tailored treatment can save expensive healthcare costs, which is beneficial to society as a whole. For the patient, it is extremely important that you do not take on something that did not work well, too late, and cause unpleasant side effects. By promptly providing effective treatment, you also save valuable patient time. It’s not yet possible in the short term, but it got us through. We contribute in small steps and stand on the shoulders of many researchers who have already taken many steps for us.”

What is it like working with someone from a completely different discipline?

“Talking to people from other disciplines always makes me very humble, because then I notice how differently they look at the same issue and how I am surprised by their point of view. I enjoy it very much. This cross-pollination enriches my conceptual framework and my scientific framework. As a doctor in nuclear medicine, you She works with many universities and hospitals. This is very normal because you do not have all the facilities at home. You also need each other to get enough patients with a rare disorder for research. The boundaries between institutions, both medical and technical, are blurred. Also at the level European. It is about being able to bring something important to the patient.”

What is the tip for a good collaboration?

My advice is: do it together, really together. What I hate about science is ‘every man for himself and God for us all’. We have to get rid of that. When you do things together, you achieve more. You sit on your data and that anyone who has something useful to contribute can share.We do it together for the patient.

What also plays a positive role in the collaboration is the fact that more and more women are participating in the Science Summit. There is a difference in feelings between men and women. Women aren’t usually about sitting on monkey rock. I think it’s important to break the glass ceiling more, because we need more women leaders in science.”

You also participate in the training of clinical technologists. What is their role in healthcare in the future?

“Our rapidly changing and aging society has a huge impact on healthcare. We have to do more and better, with fewer people. How? There is only one solution to this: the use of technology. Clinical technologists are the result of collaboration between medical and technical universities. They are the kind of professionals that are most needed when implementing the growing number of technological innovations in healthcare.

However, the integration of this professional group into the clinical setting could be improved. First of all, it might be beneficial for the government to fund the specialization of clinical technologists, similar to the training to become a medical professional. Moreover, the financial settlement of their sponsorship activities had not been properly arranged yet. In addition, the clinical technologist’s job profile is not included as a criterion in the academic hospital collective labor agreement. I hope this changes and that I can play a motivational role in this. My commitment to this is now very strong because of my dual chair at the two technical universities that train these professionals.”

Which work really surprised you and why?

“I could name four or five scientists whose work fascinates me. But if I had to highlight one, I would pick Dennis Schart. He is affiliated with TU Delft. Through his research, he made sure that better detectors for TOF-PET and photon counting CT were developed. Thus, the quality of the images in “Pet/CT scans have improved significantly. He’s also now working on many potentially better technologies. These are all studies that intrigue and fascinate me.”

This interview comes from Delta Medical Web site.

Read more about LUMC professors who have recently earned a degree He got a double date At medical delta affiliated academic institutions.

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