Remo George, Ph.D. Leaving the hospital after radiopharmaceutical cancer treatment can mean taking home pages of complex instructions that patients are expected to follow. LifeNuclear is a healthcare technology startup founded at the University of Alabama at Birmingham focused on developing digital tools for patients receiving radiopharmaceutical cancer therapies.
Radiopharmaceutical therapy uses radioactive medicines that target and destroy cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. As treatment becomes more widely used, patients often leave with lengthy written instructions that can be difficult to understand and follow.
Remo George, Ph.D., an assistant professor in UAB’s Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Sciences Program, founded LifeNuclear to simplify that experience. The company’s first product, TheraGuide, is a digital platform designed to transform those complex paper instructions into clear, accessible guidance for patients and caregivers.
“LifeNuclear is a digital health company focused on improving patient guidance, education and safety for people receiving radiopharmaceutical therapies,” George said. “Our first product, TheraGuide, is being developed to help patients and caregivers better understand and follow radiation safety instructions after treatment.”
The platform includes treatment-specific guidance, easy-to-understand educational content, interactive checklists, multilingual support and personalized timelines that deliver the right information at the appropriate time throughout each stage of treatment, rather than simply presenting patients with static educational materials.
“Our goal is to make complex radiation safety instructions easier to understand, easier to follow and easier to reference whenever questions arise at home,” George said.
The idea for the company grew from a conversation with a colleague who described how difficult it could be for patients to understand the written instructions they received after treatment.
“That conversation resonated with me because I have always believed that important medical information should be understandable to everyone,” George said. “I also know from personal experience that lengthy written instructions can be overwhelming. That experience motivated me to create a simpler, more patient-friendly approach.”
Today, LifeNuclear has reached several key milestones, including executing a licensing agreement with UAB, developing the TheraGuide prototype and successfully deploying it through Apple’s TestFlight platform for beta evaluation. The company has assembled a multidisciplinary leadership, including interim CEO Gae Stoops, who leads business operations and commercialization efforts, migration to an Apple Organization Developer account, and development of the TheraGuide prototype.
UAB’s Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship fosters an entrepreneurial community and innovative ecosystem and provides the infrastructure required for faculty, staff and students to commercialize innovation within the region and beyond.
Recently, UAB earned national recognition for its ability to translate scientific discovery into real-world healthcare impact, ranking No. 42 out of 303 leading biomedical research institutions across the United States in the Cure Innovation Index.
“Once Dr. George settled on creating a startup, he wanted to move as quickly as possible toward launch. Our office assisted him during the company approval process and then negotiated and executed a license, but LifeNuclear is a company today because of his initiative,” said Wink Crittenden, Ph.D., licensing associate for the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “Dr. George has 100 percent been the driving force behind making this startup happen.”
“One of the biggest challenges has been navigating the legal, regulatory and organizational steps required to bring a healthcare product to market,” George said. “Rather than taking shortcuts, we have focused on building a strong foundation through careful planning, collaboration and guidance from UAB’s Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and many supportive colleagues.”
Looking ahead, LifeNuclear plans to continue refining TheraGuide with feedback from clinical partners while preparing for pilot evaluations and future collaborations.
“Our hope is that patients will feel more confident, informed and supported throughout their treatment,” George said. “As radiopharmaceutical therapies continue to expand, we believe digital guidance tools can become an important part of helping patients safely manage their care outside the hospital.”