University’s Boron Neutron Capture Therapy centre treats overseas brain cancer patients

KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 -- National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) has converted Tsing Hua Open pool Reactor (THOR) for use in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), in cooperation with the Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH).

On Feb 14, the melodious strains of the fourth movement of Mahler's Fifth Symphony were heard inside the building of THOR at NTHU. This is the favourite piece of music of a European woman who was here to undergo BNCT for a malignant brain tumour.

According to a statement, this was her second course of treatment and the size of malignant glioma deep in her brainstem was reduced from 3.51 cm to 1.06 cm after the first treatment.

To date, the treatment has provided a new lease on life to over 130 cancer patients worldwide.

According to Professor Chou Fong-in, BNCT is a target radiation therapy in which the patient is first injected with a boron-containing drug; once the drug has accumulated in the tumour, the neutron beam is used to irradiate the tumour for delivering curative doses specifically to tumours, while sparing normal tissue.

As explained by TVGH oncologist Chen Yi-wei, boron-10 drug contains the structure like essential amino acids and cancer cells need lots of nutrients to support their abnormal proliferation.

According to Dr Chen, the key requirements for BNCT are a boron-containing drug suitable for absorption by cancer cells and a stable neutron source with appropriate energy spectrum, whereby NTHU’s research reactor has been retrofitted to provide the neutron source.

NTHU and the Taoyuan City Government are planning to jointly develop a medical complex as part of the Taoyuan Aerotropolis to be built near the Taoyuan Airport. The BNCT will play a major role at the new facility and will be used to treat Taiwanese and overseas patients.

-- BERNAMA

GMAC adds Portugal's Nova School of Business & Economics to membership

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 --  The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™), a global association of leading graduate business schools has announced the addition of Nova School of Business & Economics (Nova SBE) into its membership.

Nova SBE is one of Portugal’s top business schools. The addition brings GMAC’s total membership to 229 institutions, according to a statement.

GMAC member schools go through an invitation-only process governed by the organisation’s board of directors.

Nominees then participate in a comprehensive application process that addresses the sustained commitments to supporting GMAC’s mission: providing the tools and information necessary for schools and talent to discover and evaluate each other.

Nova SBE considers itself a community of world citizens. Sharing GMAC’s vision of diversity, the institution strives to stay at the forefront of innovation while preparing executives and entrepreneurs of tomorrow to contribute to a more open, sustainable and inclusive world.

Financial Times has ranked the school 22nd for its International Master's in Management worldwide; 21st for its International Master’s in Finance worldwide; and, among the top 30 Business Schools in Europe.

To be considered for membership in GMAC, schools complete an application process and must maintain a selective admissions process and actively support GMAC’s mission and use GMAT exam or other GMAC assessments as part of admissions and enrollment processes.

More details at www.gmac.com.

-- BERNAMA