This partnership aims to enhance global standards in radiotheranostics and expand patient access to cutting-edge cancer treatments.
September 11, 2024 – Wiesbaden, Germany, and Metro Manila, Philippines. Today, the International Centers for Precision Oncology (ICPO) Foundation and the two facilities of St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City and in Taguig City, Philippines, announced their collaboration to establish this theranostics center as one of the global ICPO Collaborating Centers. This partnership will enable a growing number of patients worldwide access to Radiomolecular Precision Oncology (RPO) and further promote research and development in the field of RPO.
The ICPO Foundation aims to develop an international network of physical diagnostic and therapeutic centers dedicated to Radiomolecular Precision Oncology. It has launched the “ICPO Academy for Theranostics” and is driving forward the research of innovative radiopharmaceuticals. The Foundation's mission is to ensure that cutting-edge cancer therapies are accessible to patients worldwide. The ICPO Centers operate under an operating model based on shared know-how, certified education, and standardized design and processes that enable the implementation of best clinical practices on a global scale. The ICPO Foundation has successfully established ICPO Collaborating Centers in Germany, China, India, Australia, Egypt, South Africa and Dubai. Further expansion plans are underway, with upcoming centers in various global locations.
St. Luke's Medical Center, with its flagship facilities in Quezon City and Global City, Taguig, is renowned as the premier healthcare institution in the Philippines. It has garnered international recognition and accreditation, underscoring its commitment to excellence in medical service provision. Accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the oldest and most esteemed healthcare accreditation organization globally, St. Luke's is the first hospital in the Philippines to achieve this distinction, dating back to 2003. Moreover, it holds the distinction of being only the second hospital in Asia to earn JCI accreditation.
The Department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics plays a pivotal role in disease diagnosis, armed with cutting-edge technology that stands at the forefront of diagnostic tools in the country. Notably, the PET Center at St. Luke's Medical Center – Quezon City stands as the nation's inaugural facility of its kind, pioneering the practice of PET imaging.
St. Luke's Medical Center will advise ICPO on the best methods to implement international quality standards, processes, and procedures for precision oncology in the Philippines. Additionally, it will share center layout concepts and ideas with ICPO, offering a potential template for new ICPO Center candidates while ensuring compliance with local authorities' requirements. St. Luke's Medical Center will also promote the ICPO Academy in the Philippines, including at national society meetings, and serve as a point of contact for interested parties and participant registration. In return, ICPO will enhance St. Luke's Medical Center's international visibility within the community as a reference center.
Odile Jaume, CEO of the ICPO Foundation, conveyed her deep excitement for the partnership, stating: "This collaboration establishes St. Luke's Medical Center as a key partner within the ICPO network and in the Philippines, ushering in a new era in cancer care. Our goal is to expand patient access to cutting-edge Radiomolecular Precision Oncology therapy globally and to advance the ICPO Academy for Theranostics in partnership with leading institutions."
Dennis P. Serrano, CEO and President of St. Luke's Medical Center,underscored this commitment: "Through our collaboration with the ICPO Foundation, our Theranostic Center is positioned at the forefront of a transformative change towards precision oncology in the Philippines. As an ICPO Collaboration Center, we gain valuable insights and connections within a global community of world-class experts."
About ICPO Foundation
The International Centers for Precision Oncology Foundation (ICPO) is a non-profit organization established in 2019 under German law by leading international medical practitioners and life sciences entrepreneurs. Recognizing a paradigm shift in cancer care from one size fits all to a personalized approach, the ICPO Foundation is helping to build momentum to scale global patient access to Radiomolecular Precision Oncology to support this shift. Therefore, the ICPO Foundation aims to develop an international network of physical diagnostic and therapeutic Centers for Precision Oncology organized in a Social Franchise model based on shared know-how, certified education with the ICPO Academy for Theranostics, and design and process standardization that enables best clinical practice globally. Furthermore, it is the ICPO Foundation's objective to empower its Centers by embedding them in a highly inclusive community that spearheads its model and lives up to the Precision Oncology promise by making it available to all patients in need, irrespective of country or social status.
Learn more about the ICPO Foundation at www.icpo.foundation and the ICPO Academy for Theranostics at www.theranostics.academy
Media contact ICPO Foundation
Susanne Simon
Head of Communication & Community
Email: susanne.simon@icpo.foundation
Phone: + 49 172 8666093
Media contact St. Luke’s Medical Center
Asst. Prof. Dr. Patricia Bautista-Peñalosa
Theranostician / Regional Member of the ICPO Centers and Patient Access Steering Committee
Email: pabautista@stlukes.com.ph
Phone: + 63 917 5260810