Bringing Lifesaving Medical Technology to Latin America: The Synapse Latam Story

Nuclear Medicine & Theranostics

‍Overview

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Imagine a new way to fight diseases like cancer and heart disease that is incredibly precise. It’s a type of personalized medicine that can find and treat unhealthy cells anywhere in the body, often with fewer side effects. This technology, called theranostics, is changing healthcare around the world. However, many parts of Latin America have been left behind. Hospitals have the right scanning machines, but they can't get the special radioactive medicines, called radiopharmaceuticals, needed to make them work. It's like having a high-tech car with no fuel.

Synapse Latam was created to solve this exact problem. We are a specialized healthcare company that helps hospitals and clinics in Latin America build their own world-class programs for this new type of medicine. We provide the expertise, the plan, and the support to help them become self-sufficient, giving more patients access to these life-changing treatments.

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A New Way to See and Fight Disease

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In medicine today, we're moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. One of the most exciting new fields is called Nuclear Medicine.1 This isn't about big, scary radiation; it uses tiny, safe amounts of radioactive materials to get a clear picture of what’s happening inside your body at a molecular level.3

Think of it this way: a normal X-ray or CT scan shows you the body's anatomy—like a map of a city's streets.5 A nuclear medicine scan, like a

PET scan, shows you the body's function—like the traffic moving on those streets.6 This allows doctors to see how your organs are actually working and spot problems much earlier.7

These scans are powered by special drugs called radiopharmaceuticals.8 You can think of them as biological GPS trackers. They are made of two parts:

  1. A "targeting molecule" that is programmed to find and attach to specific cells, like cancer cells.6
  2. A "radioactive tag" that sends out a signal, which a PET scanner can see.6

When injected, this drug travels through the body and lights up the problem areas, giving doctors a clear map of the disease.10

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What is Theranostics? The "See It, Treat It" Approach

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The next step in this technology is even more amazing. It’s called theranostics, which combines the words "therapy" and "diagnostics".11 It’s a simple but powerful idea: see what you treat, and treat what you see.12

Here’s how it works 13:

  • Step 1 (See It): First, you get a PET scan using a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical. This confirms exactly where the cancer cells are in your body.
  • Step 2 (Treat It): If the scan shows the target, you get a second drug. This one uses the exact same GPS tracker to find the cancer cells, but it carries a more powerful radioactive tag designed to destroy them.11

This method acts like a "molecular smart bomb," delivering radiation directly to the cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed.14 It’s a game-changer for treating cancers that have spread throughout the body.6

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The Big Problem in Latin America: A Broken Supply Chain

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Despite having advanced PET scanners, many hospitals in Latin America can't offer these treatments consistently.15 Why? Because they depend on a fragile and outdated system to get the radiopharmaceuticals they need.

The main challenge is something called "half-life." The radioactive materials in these drugs decay very quickly. For example, the most common one for PET scans, Fluorine-18, loses half of its power every 110 minutes.17

Imagine trying to ship an ice cube from Europe to South America. By the time it arrives, most of it has melted. It's the same with these life-saving drugs. Relying on a few overseas producers means the medicine is often too weak or too expensive by the time it reaches the patient.18 This leads to canceled appointments, underused multi-million dollar equipment, and, most importantly, patients not getting the care they need.19

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The Solution: How Synapse Latam Helps

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Synapse Latam was created to fix this broken system. We are a Management Services Organization (MSO), which means we don't just sell equipment; we partner with hospitals to provide a complete solution.21 We bring a proven operational model from the United States to help our partners in Latin America build their own successful theranostics and clinical research programs from the ground up.21

Our services include 21:

  • Program Development: We help hospitals plan and build their own advanced imaging and therapy programs.
  • Clinical Research Support: We manage all the details so our partners can participate in important international medical studies, giving their patients access to the latest innovations.
  • Radiopharmaceutical Strategy: We help hospitals figure out the best way to get the medical isotopes they need. For some, this might mean helping them build their own on-site production facility using a revolutionary compact machine called a cyclotron.21

A cyclotron is like a mini-factory for making these short-lived radiopharmaceuticals right at the hospital.22 This completely eliminates the need to rely on overseas shipments. We have exclusive access to a groundbreaking, FDA-cleared machine, the

IONETIX ION-12SC, which is smaller, more affordable, and easier to operate than older models, making it a perfect fit for many hospitals.24

By partnering with us, hospitals can 26:

  1. Save Money: By making their own radiopharmaceuticals instead of importing them.
  2. Create New Revenue: By selling extra doses to other nearby clinics.
  3. Become Research Leaders: By attracting high-value clinical trials from global companies.

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Conclusion: A New Era for Healthcare in Latin America

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The future of medicine is personal, precise, and powerful. For too long, access to groundbreaking treatments like theranostics has been limited in Latin America due to logistical and financial barriers.

Synapse Latam is changing that. By providing a complete support system—from expert planning and regulatory help to advanced technology—we empower local hospitals to become self-sufficient leaders in nuclear medicine.21 Our goal is to build a strong, collaborative network of theranostics centers across the continent, ensuring that patients everywhere have access to the best care possible. We are not just closing an infrastructure gap; we are building a bridge to a healthier future for Latin America.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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1. What is a radiopharmaceutical in simple terms?

A radiopharmaceutical is a special kind of drug that contains a safe, tiny amount of a radioactive substance.8 Think of it as a smart tracer that, when put into your body, travels to specific organs or cells (like tumors) and gives off a signal that a special camera can see. This helps doctors diagnose and treat diseases.27

2. What is a PET scan?

A PET scan is an imaging test that shows how your body is functioning on the inside.28 After you receive an injection of a radiopharmaceutical, you lie down in a scanner that looks like a large donut. The scanner detects the signals from the drug to create 3D pictures that show "hot spots" of activity.29 For example, since cancer cells use more energy than normal cells, they light up on a PET scan, helping doctors find cancer and see if treatment is working.10

3. What is theranostics?

Theranostics is a new approach in medicine that combines therapy and diagnostics. It uses a two-step process: first, a diagnostic drug is used to "see" and locate cancer cells with a PET scan. Then, a second, therapeutic drug that targets the exact same cells is used to "treat" and destroy them.11

4. Why can't hospitals in Latin America just buy these drugs?

The radioactive ingredients in these drugs are very short-lived; they lose their strength very quickly.17 Shipping them from the few production facilities in other parts of the world is slow and expensive. Often, by the time the drug arrives, it's no longer effective.18 This makes relying on imports unreliable and costly.

5. What does Synapse Latam do for a hospital?

Synapse Latam acts as a full-service partner to help hospitals build their own advanced medicine programs.21 We provide the expert guidance, planning, regulatory support, and training needed to get started. For hospitals that need it, we also provide the technology to make their own radiopharmaceuticals on-site, so they no longer have to rely on imports.21

6. Is nuclear medicine safe for patients?

Yes. Nuclear medicine procedures are very safe.7 The amount of radioactive material used in a diagnostic scan is extremely small, just enough for the camera to see what's happening inside your body. The substances have a very short half-life, meaning they are cleared from your body quickly.30 Your medical team is specially trained to ensure that radiation exposure is kept as low as possible.7

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Author: Bioaccess Content Team