Isotopia Molecular Imaging has announced it is backing research led by Israeli investigators who are developing a radiopharmaceutical to detect small, aggressive cancerous tumors.
The research is focused on a hypoxia radioactive marker based on a copper-64 isotope that reportedly identifies oxygen-deficient cells. Studies have shown that oxygen concentration in the cell is directly related to the aggressiveness of cancerous tumors.
The hypoxia radioactive marker may determine if a tumor is malignant or benign and also show how aggressive it is through a single image, eliminating the need for a standard biopsy, the company said in a release.
The research is led by Sharon Ruthstein, PhD, of the department of chemistry at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan.
![A 53-year-old patient (patient number four) with a recurrent pituitary adenoma with extension of a cystic component of disease to the medial temporal lobe apparent on MRI (contoured in blue), and extension of disease to the left sphenoid bone and orbital apex apparent on [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-TATE (contoured in yellow).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/04/pituitary-tumor.QGsEnyB4bU.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
