Prof. Ewa Ł. Stępień, prof. Paweł Moskal, dr Szymon Niedźwiecki and dr Magdalena Marzec, the representatives of the Department of Experimental Particle Physics and Applications and the Department of Medical Physics, building the Theranostics Center, had the pleasure of visiting between March 27 to April 1, 2023 the laboratories of iThemba LABS at the invitation of the directors and Dr. Faïçal Azaiez and Dr. Rudolph Nchodu and the head of the Radiation Biophysics Laboratory, Dr. Randal Fisher. iThemba LABS near Cape Town (South Africa) is a group of acceleration laboratories (Laboratories for Accelerator Based Science _ iThemba LABS https://tlabs.ac.za/),  where particle accelerators (linear and cyclotrons) are used as research tools to study the structure and properties of matter and for the production of medical radioisotopes used in diagnostics, imaging and therapy.
During the 5-day visit, seminars were delivered combined with familiarization with the accelerators located at iThemba LABS, including 200-MeV Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC) powered by two fixed-pole cyclotrons to pre-accelerate the beam. In 2023, the flagship iThemba South African Isotope Facility (SAIF) project was launched, the aim of which is to increase the availability of beams for research and to develop new research areas on new and innovative solutions in the field of cancer treatment and early diagnosis.
In this field, both iThemba LABS and the Center for Theranostics want to establish long-term cooperation, under which new radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals will be created, but also the use of innovative techniques for imaging and diagnostics of early stages of cancer.