Why nuclear medicine is shaping the future of precision care

Why precision care is going nuclear—and taking on everything from cancer and heart disease to neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

15 seconds versus 60 seconds.  

That’s the difference between normal arm-to-arm circulation time and the circulation time of someone experiencing a heart attack. First conducted a century ago, scientists used radioactivity’s advantages to make this finding—considered the birth of nuclear medicine.  

Today, novel radioisotopes paired with advanced high-resolution medical imaging technology have ushered in a nuclear medicine revolution that has potential to deliver fast, reliable diagnoses and more efficient and accurate monitoring for patients. Whether addressing diseases ranging from cancer and heart disease to dementia, the latest advances in nuclear medicine are helping advance a more precise and personalized approach to care: the right treatment for the right patient at the right time.

That momentum is reflected in the scale of the field: an estimated 40 million diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures are performed globally with the potential to help clinicians better identify signs of cancer, coronary artery disease or Alzheimer’s.  As hospitals and health systems continue to grapple with chronic disease growth and an aging population, “the potential of nuclear medicine in helping solve some of healthcare’s greatest challenges is vast,” says Peter Arduini, President and CEO, GE HealthCare. “We’re at the forefront of the nuclear medicine renaissance—entering a new era to help make precision care more practical, scalable, and ultimately more impactful for patients.” 

What is nuclear medicine? 

Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses small amounts of radioactive tracers combined with advanced imaging technologies to visualize how the body is functioning at a molecular level to help diagnose and detect disease and bodily abnormalities such as: 

• (Oncology) Cancer: Including breast, prostate, thyroid, lung, liver and pancreatic cancers.
• (Cardiology) Heart: Coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure assessment.
• (Neurology) Brain: Stroke, brain tumors, Parkinson’s disease, various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
• Functionality of organs: Liver, lungs, kidneys, thyroid, bones, and others.

Through: 

• SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) and PET (positron emission tomography) imaging using radiotracers for detailed imaging.
• Theranostics—the combination of therapy and diagnostics—using radiopharmaceuticals and radiotracers for detailed diagnostic imaging and therapy to identify and treat disease at the molecular level, particularly in oncology.  

To understand the potential of nuclear medicine and implications for the future of precision care, it helps to understand what the specialty encompasses—and how it originated.

The history of nuclear medicine: when radiation met biology—and a camera 

Over the last century, advances in technology, imaging, and radiopharmaceuticals have propelled nuclear medicine from a pioneering concept to a cornerstone of modern medical care:

•  In 1925, Hermann L. Blumgart and Otto C. Yens conducted the first radiotracer study on humans, measuring arm-to-arm circulation time. The experiment not only launched the field of nuclear medicine but also marked the birth of the specialized instrumentation that would become essential to the discipline.
• 1943: The Hungarian chemist George de Hevesy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the use of isotopes as tracers in the study of chemical processes—a core component in modern radiopharmaceuticals. 

Hevesy’s work, used to study metabolism within animals, extended into human applications like measuring blood flow. It was also happening in tandem with another leap toward modern nuclear medicine: the ability to capture the biochemical processes signaled by radioisotopes with gamma cameras and molecular imaging technology that now allows clinicians to view them with clarity.  

• 1950s: Annihilation radiation occurs when a particle meets its antiparticle (in medical imaging, when a positron meets an electron) and produces photons, such as through gamma rays. Those emitted rays can be captured by the right type of camera like the one Hal Anger, inventor of the first successful radioisotope gamma camera, developed in the 1950s.  

The combination of radiotracers with such cameras led to current technologies like SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) and PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography).  

• 2000s: PET/CT, especially, has seen a wave of growth over the past two decades. The PET/CT scanner, originally developed by David Townsend and Ronald Nutt, in 2000, was named the medical invention of the year by Time Magazine. Compared to traditional SPECT, PET provides greater imaging clarity and faster turnaround times. As the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) puts it, “Recent advancements in the field have combined PET and gamma cameras with high-resolution structural imaging devices like CT and MRI scanners, offering unparalleled visualization of normal and altered physiology in the body.” 

Why is that so significant? 

Radioactive isotopes, when paired with targeted tracers and advanced imaging technologies, allow clinicians to visualize biological processes inside the body.  

“Think of it like the evolution from a physical map to a GPS system,” explains Kevin O’Neill, President and CEO, Pharmaceutical Diagnostics (PDx) at GE HealthCare. “Nuclear medicine doesn’t just show where something is—it helps clinicians understand what is happening in real time. That insight can help guide more confident clinical decisions about diagnosis, treatment, and whether a therapy is working.”