FUN

At the heart of medical radioactivity (FUN)

Offered by Université de Nantes,
At the heart of medical radioactivity (FUN)

After a brief introduction on the physical basis of radioactivity, the MOOC "at the heart of medical radioactivity", will present in different stages the interest of medical radioactivity, from the design of a radiopharmaceutical to its use in the patient. The public objective of this MOOC is to demonstrate the medical use of radioactivity and its modalities.

This course lasts 6 weeks (including an introductory week) and is divided into 24 sequences. Each week 2 to 6 thematic sequences will be discussed. The sequences will be presented in the form of videos, and participants will have access to additional documents to better understand or deepen understanding of certain concepts. Participants will also have suggestions for additional lessons or videos to view (outside the FUN platform).

Course plan

Week 0 : Introduction to the MOOC
Ep#1: History of Nuclear Medicine
Ep#2: Medical use of ionizing radiation

Week 1 : What is Radioactivity?
Ep#1: Journey to the heart of matter
Ep#2: The Origins of Radioactivity
Ep#3: The Different Types of Radioactivity
Ep#4: Concepts in Radiobiology

Week 2 : Production of Radioactive Isotopes
Ep#1: Cyclotron production: The example of fluorine-18
Ep#2: Cyclotron production: The example of Astatine-211
Ep#3: The Neutron Reactor: Example of iodine-131 production
Ep#4: Generator production: Example of metastable Technetium-99

Week 3 : Radiopharmaceuticals: Definition and Mode of Action
Ep#1: What is a radiopharmaceutical?
Ep#2: How radiopharmaceuticals work: The concept of molecular targeting
Ep#3: Radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic applications
Ep#4: Radiopharmaceuticals for Therapeutic Applications

Week 4 : Medical Applications
Ep#1: Patient pathway - Diagnostic tests in conventional nuclear medicine: an example of bone and myocardial scintigraphy
Ep#2: Patient pathway - Diagnostic Tests using Positron Emission Tomography: Example of FDG PET
Ep#3: Patient pathway - Therapeutic Applications: An Example of Iodine-131 radiotherapy
Ep#4: Contribution of nuclear medicine to personalized medicine
Ep#5: Contribution of Nuclear Medicine in the management of breast cancer
Ep#6: Use of ionizing radiation in external radiotherapy

Week 5 : Radioprotection
Ep#1: Radiation protection: Regulatory framework and theoretical data
Ep#2: Practical radiation protection
Ep#3: Perception of radioactivity, theoretical data
Ep#4: The hospitalization experience in a shielded room of patients with thyroid cancer treated with iodine-131

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