?Prof James Warwick, Executive Head of the Department of Medical Imaging and Clinical Oncology in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票, delivered his inaugural lecture on Tuesday 10 June 2025. The title of his lecture was 'From the multicounter to theranostics: a story of nuclear medicine'.
Warwick, who also heads the Division of Nuclear Medicine at the FMHS, spoke to the Corporate Communication and Marketing Division about how his research in nuclear medicine helps to improve the treatment of cancers and other diseases.
Tell us more about your research and why you became interested in this specific field.
I studied physics and applied mathematics before I went to medical school. Nuclear medicine (using unsealed radiation sources for the detection and treatment of disease) was a way to combine the two interests. My research has focused on functional brain imaging (a type of brain scan that shows how the brain is working in real time), applications of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT—a detailed medical scan that combines two types of imaging to give doctors a clearer picture of what's happening inside the body) and measurement of kidney function.
How would you describe the relevance of your work?
Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty often misunderstood, both within and outside the medical community. We provide investigations and therapies that form an integral part in the management of a diverse group of patients, especially but not limited to cancer patients.
What are some of the significant contributions of nuclear medicine to modern healthcare?
Modern nuclear medicine represents the convergence of pioneering work from across the 20th century, when radioactive compounds were first applied to medical science. From these early developments, the discipline has grown—interacting with and borrowing from sister fields—to become a dynamic area in modern healthcare.
Imaging technology has progressed from the initial use of the rudimentary multicounter (a simple, older machine used to detect and measure radiation from several sources or samples at once) to today's hybrid systems that offer exquisite anatomical and functional detail. Advances in biochemistry and radiopharmacy (a special area of pharmacy that focuses on the preparation, quality assurance, and safe dispensing of radioactive medicine used to diagnose or treat diseases, especially cancer) now allow the visualisation of cellular processes and the delivery of precision therapies with fewer side effects.
Recent contributions include extremely sensitive imaging for the detection of active cancer and the treatment of some cancers using targeted radiotherapy—a cancer treatment that uses high-energy rays (like X-rays) to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours.
Can you highlight some major technological breakthroughs in nuclear medicine?
Continual improvement of PET/CT scanners including digital PET and whole-body scanning; and the development of new molecules to target disease such as PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen) tracers used to diagnose and treat prostate cancer (theranostics).
Looking into your crystal ball, what developments do you see in the field of nuclear medicine research?
The development of new compounds that will enable the imaging and treatment of other cancers and diseases.
You have spent many years in the challenging environment of higher education. What keeps you motivated when things get tough?
Meeting and working with young people entering the field, including sharing their new ideas.
What aspects of your work do you enjoy the most?
The field is very dynamic. Even in the time I have worked in nuclear medicine, the nature of our work keeps evolving with new studies and therapies becoming available.
Tell us something exciting about yourself that people would not expect.
When time allows, I try to make a very small contribution towards the restoration of a 1922 steam locomotive.
How do you spend your free time?
When I can, I try to do some hiking on Table Mountain.
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