Toronto, ON – June 18, 2026 – The annual Canadian Radiotheranostics Leaders’ Summit reached a new milestone this year with the presentation of the inaugural Novartis Canadian Radioligand Therapy (RLT) Innovation Awards.
Designed to enable and recognize innovative Canadian research that advances the impact of radioligand therapy, the Novartis-sponsored RLT Innovation Awards fund projects focused on improving patient outcomes through focus areas such as treatment response, prognostic tools, clinical implementation, education, and health-system readiness.
The Canadian Radiotheranostics Leaders’ Summit is is a unique, interdisciplinary, pan-Canadian conference hosted by the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC), four health centres of excellence (University Health Network, BC Cancer, London Health Sciences Centre, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), and the Canadian Medical Isotope Ecosystem (CMIE). From isotope production and radiopharmaceutical development to clinical delivery, research, policy, and patient access, the annual Leaders’ Summit brings together leaders from across the isotope community to advance radioligand therapy from innovation to impact.
This year’s Leaders’ Summit was centered on the theme “Collaboration in action: Unleashing Canada’s radioisotope future,” reflecting the growing recognition that progress in radiotheranostics depends on coordination across the full ecosystem. In this context, the RLT Innovation Awards reflected the spirit of the Summit by spotlighting projects that are not only scientifically promising but are also patient-focused and address real challenges in care delivery and implementation.
Importantly, the RLT Innovation Awards also reflect a commitment to supporting training and strengthening Canada’s growing talent pipeline in radiotheranostics, requiring at least one early-stage investigator to be a lead on the proposed studies.
For its inaugural year, a total of $40,000 CAD in funding was made available, with two finalist applicants invited to present their proposals in front of 500 attendees during the first day of the Summit. The winning proposal was decided by this year’s judging panel: Dr. Neil Vasdev (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), Dr. Raymond Reilly (University of Toronto), and Dr. Wendy Parulekar (Queen’s University).
This year’s Gold RLT Innovation Award was presented to Dr. Mina Swiha of London Health Sciences Centre for his project, “HIT-PSMA: Validation of the HIT Score on PSMA PET/CT and its correlation with patient outcomes,” which focuses on validating a practical imaging tool that could help clinicians better identify which patients with advanced prostate cancer are most likely to benefit from Lu-177 PSMA radioligand therapy. The ‘HIT score’ is designed to be simple and clinically accessible, allowing care teams to use information from standard PET imaging without requiring more complex software-based measurements. By supporting better patient selection, the project has the potential to improve treatment outcomes, reduce unnecessary toxicity, and support more efficient and equitable use of radioligand therapy.
The Silver RLT Innovation Award was presented to Dr. Sean Hassan of the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary for his project, “A single-arm technical feasibility study of dosimetry-guided stereotactic ablative radiotherapy.” This study focuses on patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumours receiving Lu-177 DOTATATE therapy, exploring whether patient specific dosimetry data can help identify tumour lesions that may not have received enough radiation from radioligand therapy, and whether those areas can then be treated with a targeted external radiation boost between treatment cycles. The project reflects the growing importance of using imaging and dose information to make radioligand therapy more personalized and responsive to each patient’s disease.
Both award recipients will be invited to present the findings of their studies at the Leaders’ Summit 2027, allowing the radiotheranostics community to learn from and build upon this initial work. The CNIC extends its sincere thanks to Novartis Canada for making the RLT Innovation Awards possible and for supporting a platform that recognizes Canadian leadership in RLT. The CNIC also thanks all applicants who submitted proposals to this year’s award. Their work reflects the depth of expertise, creativity, and clinical commitment that continues to strengthen Canada’s radiotheranostics ecosystem.
As RLT becomes an increasingly important part of cancer care, initiatives such as the RLT Innovation Awards help create opportunities for innovation research, early-career leadership, and practical research and solutions that can shape and improve the future of patient care.
Quotes:
“Radiotheranostics is transforming the care of patients with advanced prostate cancer by enabling more personalized treatment decisions. I am deeply honored to receive the Gold RLT Innovation Award and sincerely grateful to the Canadian Radiotheranostics Leaders’ Summit, the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council, and Novartis for their support. This funding will enable our team to prospectively validate the Heterogeneity and Intensity of Tumors (HIT) score, a novel imaging biomarker designed to improve patient selection for PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy. Our goal is to provide clinicians with a practical, evidence-based tool to identify the patients most likely to benefit from treatment, ultimately improving outcomes while advancing the field of precision oncology.”
– Dr. Mina Swiha, London Health Sciences Centre and recipient of the Gold RLT Innovation Award
“It is a true honour to receive this recognition on behalf of a national collaboration of oncologists, physicists, nuclear medicine physicians, translational scientists, and most importantly, patients. With this support, we look forward to continuing to challenge paradigms as we bring this work to the patients who need it.”
– Dr. Sean Hassan, Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and recipient of the Silver RLT Innovation Award
“The Novartis Canadian Radioligand Therapy Innovation Award is designed to enable and recognize innovative research from Canadian researchers with the goal of catalyzing advances in patient outcome. Structured to encourage mentoring of early career investigators, it also hopes to contribute to advancing the talent pool in Canada. Launched at the Canadian Radiotheranostics Leaders’ Summit 2026, we received several strong applications making the selection of the top applicants by the selection committee challenging. We are grateful to our esteemed judges Professors Parulekar, Reilly and Vasdev who selected the final Gold and Silver winners following their presentations and discussions. We hope this will become a key tradition the Canadian community will embrace and celebrate for years to come!”
– Dr. Rebecca Wong, Chair, Canadian Radiotheranostics Leaders’ Summit Planning Committee and Radiation Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
“The introduction of the Novartis Canadian RLT Innovation Awards at the Leaders’ Summit 2026 marks a significant milestone in the conference’s mission to not only showcase innovative Canadian research, but to now formally support it thanks to our partners at Novartis Canada. I look forward to seeing how this unique award will continue to foster innovation within Canada’s growing isotope ecosystem, providing hope to patients and families at home and abroad. Congratulations to Drs. Swiha and Hassan on this significant accomplishment and the well-deserved recognition.”
– James Scongack, Chair of the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
“Innovation in radiotheranostics requires strong collaboration across the entire research ecosystem. Novartis is proud to support the RLT Innovation Awards as an independent funding initiative that enables Canadian researchers to pursue questions that matter most to patients and clinicians. The award recipients were selected through an independent, peer-review process, and we congratulate them on their excellent proposals. Supporting investigator-led research like this is essential to advancing scientific knowledge and strengthening Canada’s position as a global leader in this field”
– Luisa Gomez, Medical Oncology Head at Novartis Canada
To learn more about the Canadian Radiotheranostics Leaders’ Summit, please visit www.canadianisotopes.ca/summit
About the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
The Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC) is an independent, not-for-profit advocacy and member services organization. The CNIC supports over 120 members from across science, academia, healthcare, and nuclear-sector organizations dedicated to maintaining Canada’s position as a global leader in the production of life-saving isotopes. The CNIC raises awareness and advocates for long-term policies that support health-care innovation and will save countless lives for decades to come.
To learn more about the CNIC, visit www.CanadianIsotopes.ca and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or please contact:
Evan Cameron
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
evan.cameron@canadianisotopes.ca