In this episode, Dr Ashleigh Hull and Dr Stephen Tronchin join host Liz Williams to explore theranostics — a cutting-edge approach to cancer treatment that uses radiopharmaceuticals to both detect and treat cancers from within the body. They cover the science behind how these treatments are designed to target cancer cells, which cancers theranostics is already being used for, and the real-world supply chain challenges that determine how many patients can access these therapies. The episode closes with a look at what's on the horizon for the field in Australia and globally.

Dr Ashleigh Hull is a nuclear medicine technologist and lecturer in medical physics, and Dr Stephen Tronchin is a post-doctoral research fellow. Both work at Adelaide University and are part of Radinnovate, an Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Center focused on developing the next generation of nuclear and radiation science researchers for Australia.

Credits

Guests: Ashleigh Hull, Stephen Tronchin

Host: Elizabeth Williams

Audio Producer: Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio)

Show notes

Stephen wanted to clarify that beta particles have a range of 1-10 mm in tissue.

Places to study to become a nuclear medicine technologist in Australia

Mines to Medicines

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Eva Bezak for introducing me to Ash and Stephen. ANU is one of the university partners involved in Radinnovate.

The usual end matter

Nuclear Matters is a production of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society and the ANU Nuclear Stewardship Network. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast is being recorded on or listened to, and pay our respects to their Elders – and all First Nations people.

If you want to send us some feedback on an episode, email us at nuclearmatterspodcast@anu.edu.au.

Keep in mind that this podcast is intended for information and education only. In particular, nothing in this episode is intended to serve as medical advice - please consult a qualified medical practitioner.

The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual speakers and do not represent the official policy or position of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society or the University as a whole.

We thought we'd share a sneak peek of the new season of Nuclear Matters. The first full episode is coming at the end of April. If you haven't already subscribed to the feed, what are you waiting for? The Apple Podcasts link is here if that's where you prefer to find us (and while you're at it, please leave us a review or some feedback - it helps us keep this going!).

While you wait, you can keep up with Australian National University's work on all things nuclear by following the ANU Nuclear Stewardship Network on LinkedIn.

Thanks to Martin Franklin from East Coast Studio for the audio production of this teaser.

As always, the views shared on this podcast are for your education and enjoyment only, and are the speakers' own. They should not be taken as representative of the views of the Australian National University or any of its business units.

What roles can citizen science play in the governance of nuclear technologies? In this episode, I explore this topic with Michiel Van Oudheusden, Associate Professor of Public Participation in Science and Democracy at VU Amsterdam. Michiel previously worked at the Nuclear Research Centre in Belgium, and had the opportunity to study citizen science initiatives focused on managing nuclear technologies in both Japan and the European Union. We explore what he found in this work, and discuss how these lessons might apply to the Australian context – particularly given the growth in our involvement with nuclear technology due to AUKUS.

This is our final episode for this season. Stay tuned for Season 2 in March 2026.

CREDITS

Guest: Michiel Van Oudheusden

Host: Liz Williams

Audio Producer: Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio)

Acknowledgements

Thank you to A/Prof Fabien Medvecky for recommending Michiel's work to me.

The usual end matter

Nuclear Matters is a production of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast is being recorded on or listened to, and pay our respects to their Elders – and all First Nations people.

If you want to send us some feedback on an episode, email us at nuclearmatterspodcast@anu.edu.au.

Keep in mind that this podcast is intended for information and education only. The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual speakers and do not represent the official policy or position of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society or the University as a whole.