Xander Van den Berghe

Antibodies are highly specific tumour-targeting vectors, but their slow pharmacokinetics limit targeted radionuclide therapy: tumour accumulation and blood clearance take days, during which a directly attached radionuclide also irradiates healthy tissues such as bone marrow. In glioblastoma, the most aggressive primary brain tumour in adults, delivery is further restricted by the blood-brain barrier.

My PhD addresses this through pretargeting, which decouples tumour targeting from radionuclide delivery. In a rat glioblastoma model, a non-radioactive, chemically modified antibody is administered first and allowed to accumulate in the tumour and clear from the blood. A small radiolabelled molecule is then injected, which binds the antibody in vivo through a fast, selective bioorthogonal 'click' reaction, while unbound activity is rapidly excreted. This aims to improve the tumour-to-background dose ratio and allows shorter-lived radionuclides.

As the radiolabelled molecule can carry a diagnostic or therapeutic radionuclide, the system is inherently theranostic: PET imaging first visualises and quantifies tumour targeting and guides subsequent treatment.

To overcome the blood-brain barrier and improve access to the glioblastoma (tumour), I combine pretargeting with transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS), which transiently opens the barrier at the tumour site, and with intra-arterial (intra-carotid) injection, which increases first-pass delivery to the tumour. Their effect on tumour uptake of both components is quantified with preclinical PET/CT/MRI. The final and most important step is therapy: assessing whether the most effective strategy, labelled with 177Lu or 161Tb, inhibits tumour growth and prolongs survival.

Ultimately, this work aims to deliver more radiation where it matters and less where it harms, opening new perspectives for patients with glioblastoma.
 

• 2026: Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering at Ghent University (minor in radiation physics)
• 2026 - present: Doctoral fellow at the Lab for Radiopharmacy, Ghent University
   

• Lab addresses: 
  - Lab for Radiopharmacy: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, B-9000 Gent (FW02)
  - INFINITY preclinical imaging lab: Ghent University Hospital, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, entrance 37a, B-9000 Gent
• LinkedIn
• INFINITY - preclinical imaging facility of Ghent University
• Xander Van den Berghe is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks