Rebecca Lo Bue – Oncidium foundation

Rebecca Lo Bue – Oncidium foundation : Podcast #114 What’s Your Story

Rebecca Lo Bue reveals a harsh reality:

“10 million people die of cancer every year… 156,000 could be treated… Only 13,000 will receive radioligand therapy. And among them? None in developing countries.“

A podcast that saves lives – Listen, share, take action!

These numbers hit hard. Behind them are faces. Lives. Hopes hanging by a thread.
And what if the person waiting for treatment was someone you love?

Today, we are using our microphones for a vital cause: Podcasthon 2025. As every year, we are fully committed to this movement of solidarity.
Hope exists… but resources are lacking

The Oncidium foundation is fighting to make revolutionary treatments accessible. Treatments that could save thousands of lives. But without funding, too many patients are left without solutions.

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For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or experiencing hearing difficulties, we provide a full transcript at the end of the article.
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Because inclusion is at the heart of our commitment, this episode is much more than just a podcast:

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Listen to this podcast and become a changemaker!

A powerful episode, an inspiring story, a real impact.
Rebecca Lo Bue takes us behind the scenes of a crucial battle: the fight for healthcare access.

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Timeline of the podcast with Rebecca Lo Bue :

• [00:00:38] Introduction to Podcasthon and donation appeal
• [00:01:56] Rebecca Lo Bue’s journey
• [00:02:56] “Oncidium Foundation”: the “Access” program
• [00:04:16] Radioligand therapy explained
• [00:06:35] Used at the end of therapy—why not earlier?
• [00:07:20] The “Education” program
• [00:08:21] Radioligand therapy in Belgium and Europe
• [00:09:55] The “Hope” program: RLT Connect
• [00:11:18] Goal: 2,000 doses in the next five years! Four doses to save a life…
• [00:11:46] Citizen donations
• [00:12:20] Tackle Cancer Challenge
• [00:13:40] “Movember,” initiated by the Prostate Cancer Foundation
• [00:14:16] Staying focused for greater efficiency
• [00:14:38] When was the foundation created? Powerful testimonials!
• [00:16:25] Official website
• [00:16:57] To be or not to be an HR?
• [00:17:58] Message for HR professionals, directors, and business leaders…
• [00:18:47] Becoming an “Oncidium Foundation” sponsor
• [00:19:04] Closing remarks & DONATION CALL!

Transcript of the podcast with Rebecca Lo Bue :

Download (Right-click: “Download Linked File”) or follow this link to a new tab to read the podcast transcription
(for reading assistants).

Caroline Gasia: [00:00:00] This podcast project is an initiative created and offered by the non-profit organisation “The Podcast Factory Org”, with sponsorship from “transforma bxl  – Innovation Playground”. Since January 2025 and for the next five years, we are also sponsored by “Plugin Company”, our preferred charging station and card operator. “The Podcast Factory Org” is very proud to be a member of “Kaya” Coalition of EcoPreneurs, and to collaborate with the “Love Health Center”. You can find all episodes of all our podcasts on the website “What’s your story dot be”?

Jingle Intro: [00:00:35] Search for radio frequency (old radio mode: crackles), a channel is picked up and the sound stabilizes: “You’r listening The Podcast Factory Org”

Caroline Gasia: [00:00:38] Welcome to a new episode of “What’s Your Story”, everyone’s got a story to tell, what’s yours? That’s the very essence of our podcast, uncovering the journeys, experiences and insights that makes each story unique. Today we’re bringing you a very special episode because, as we’ve done every year for the past two years, we’re joining the “Podcasthon” movement. So, what is “Podcasthon”? For seven days, thousands of podcasters will unite for a global charity event: between the 15th and the 21st of March 2025 each podcaster will dedicate an episode to a charity on their podcast channel, to highlight the incredible work of people who often volunteer in the shadows, contributing tirelessly to society for various causes. They truly deserve to be celebrated. This podcast, above all, and don’t forget this, listeners, is a call to action for donations! For this project, it’s absolutely crucial, I stress again, this is a call for donation, they really need your support. And you’ll see that today’s discussion is more than worthy of your contributions because it concerns everyone. I won’t reveal too much for now, sitting across from me is Rebecca Lo Bue.

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:01:53] Hello Caroline, thank you for having me today

Caroline Gasia: [00:01:56] Rebecca, today we’re in the offices of the “Oncidium Foundation”, this podcast is being offered in English and French. Let’s begin with our classic question from your teenage dreams to today… Are you aligned with those dreams? This will help our listeners understand your journey leading to your current role as CEO of “Oncidium Foundation” which represents at our microphone.

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:02:19] I’ve always been passionate around marketing and communication; it’s a field I was always impressed by. So, I decided to study this field, and I was very lucky enough to be hired by a company called “IBA”, first as a marketing assistant initially, and then I could evolve to become the marketing director of this company. It was in the nuclear medicine field. So, I’ve been there for 18 years, almost 19 actually, and this is what led me to arrive here at the “Oncidium Foundation”, still in the nuclear medicine field, today as a CEO of the Foundation.

Caroline Gasia: [00:02:56] Can you explain the mission of the “Oncidium Foundation”?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:03:00] So the “Oncidium Foundation” is a non-profit organization, recognized as a public interest and very important to highlight, it’s totally independent from any commercial or pharmaceutical company, our neutrality is very important in our day-to-day activities. And we have organized our activities around three pillars that are access, education and hope. So, what we want is to enhance and develop, and make accessible radioligand therapy across the world, it’s really our mission. Now how do we do that: is around our three pillars that are access, education and hope, so I can develop those three. So, in terms of access we have developed a network of ambassadors, today we count more than 105 local ambassadors, they are experts in the radioligand therapy, and they make sure we achieve our global mission at a national level. In a way, it makes sense in their local reality, because every country is different in terms of access in radioligand therapy, and it’s very important to tackle those barriers and to challenge them, and make sure we can enhance access everywhere in the world regarding radioligand therapy.

Caroline Gasia: [00:04:16] Before diving into the second and third pillars, could you explain what this therapy is, and how it works?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:04:23] So Radioligand therapy is still a not well-known field in oncology, and it is based on a term called radiotheranostics. So, it’s a contraction of three words: radioactivity, thera for therapy, and nostic for diagnosis. So, concretely what is it? On the surface of the tumor’s cells, they are kind of proteins, and researchers have developed a ligand that will bind into those proteins. So, we know how to reach there these cancer cells on the body, not only on the primary tumor but also on the metastatic cells on the body.

Caroline Gasia: [00:05:04] They fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:05:06] Exactly. So, it’s a ligand that will bind directly into the tumor’s cells, so it’s the first part. And then, we will, on the first step, attach to it a diagnosis molecule, it’s a radioactive diagnosis molecule. That will allow us to clearly identify where are those tumors cells spread on the body, and it can be seen on a Pet scanner typically. So, this is the first part, the imaging phase. Based on that, we can identify which patient is eligible for the treatment or not. Some patients do not respond to this diagnosis phase, and then they will be referred to other specialists for other treatments. But for those who we use the word to answer the diagnosis phase, we can then go to the phase two, which is the therapy phase. So, we will still take this very same ligand, but in this phase, we will attach a therapy molecule, it’s still a radioactive therapy molecule. That will destroy these tumors cells really in a very targeted way, protecting the healthy tissues around the tumor. So that’s very important. So, and it has very less side effects compared to other therapies that are known for the moment. So, it is not the ultimate therapy, but it’s an additional weapon that the oncologist today have to treat cancer.

Caroline Gasia: [00:06:35] Okay. You said this usually happens at the end of the therapy, why not earlier?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:06:41] Today Radioligand therapy is still at this early stage. It’s a very brand-new field and, but very promising, so the clinical trials are really exponentially increasing in this field. So, it is developed for some applications, namely for prostate cancer is very well developed also for neuroendocrine tumors, but also developing in many, many other applications, but still in its at its development phase. So, the aim of the “Oncidium Foundation” is to raise awareness around this therapy and also increase its availability and accessibility all around the globe.

Caroline Gasia: [00:07:20] And that’s why you have another pillar we’ll talk about now!

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:07:23] Exactly. So, the second pillar is education. So, we have just heard that it’s at its initial stage so meaning that still very a lot of work needs to be done in terms of awareness and education. This is why we’ve made this a priority because it’s like a virtuous circle: if you have more education, you have more access, more access will lead to more hope, more hope will lead to more education, it’s a virtuous circle that we want to implement here. So, education is key if we want to increase access of it. And education to who? It’s education to patients and patients’ associations, education to referral doctors like urologists, oncologists and many others, and also education on the nuclear medicine field where we provide the latest information and up to date information in a neutral way for the experts in nuclear medicine.

Caroline Gasia: [00:08:21] I have a question regarding our knowledge in Europe, particularly in Belgium, about this therapy: where do we currently stand in terms of awareness?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:08:29] So in Belgium we are very lucky because we are like in the kingdom of the nuclear medicine, we are very lucky to have for example, a Centre of Excellence in Radioligand therapy at the Institut Jules Bordet in Brussels. So, we are very lucky we have the treatment available, and we have the reimbursement. So Belgian citizens, they are very lucky to have access to this kind of therapy. Unfortunately, this is not the case worldwide. Every year we have 10 millions of people are dying from cancer, I mean 10 million, that’s huge. And recent publications has is highlighted that if we take the example of prostate cancer, that’s a very good application and very developed in radioligand therapy. For prostate cancer 156,000 people living with cancer, with prostate cancer, are eligible for radioligand therapy, but only 13,000 will be effectively treated with radioligand therapy this year. It’s less than ten times less, and if we now have a look to low-income countries, zero patients will be treated with radioligand therapy this year. So that’s why the “Oncidium Foundation” is really focusing its activities for developing countries where people have no access and no means to access this treatment.

Caroline Gasia: [00:09:55] And now there’s a strong connection to the third pillar of the “Oncidium Foundation”!

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:09:59] Exactly. So, the third pillar is hope. So, on one side, we support research programs aiming to increase the accessibility of those treatments or decrease the cost of those treatments. But very importantly, we have developed this new program called “RLT Connect”, and basically, it’s a website based on the offer and demand system. So, it’s a donation platform for patients who cannot afford those treatments. Basically, the practitioner will submit the case of their patient after analyzing their financial situation, and so they submit the case. They say, “Okay, I have a patient who needs four doses, one in March, April, May and June”. And on the other hand, we have agreement with radiopharmaceuticals company who accepted to donate doses for patients in need. So, it’s really like an offer and demand, and we are here to create a match between the offer and demand, and we act as a facilitator. So, we put them in contact, and we make sure the patient is properly administered. So, we have launched this program in March this year during the word theranostic conference, and so far, we’ve been able to have 100 doses administered for patients in financial need.

Caroline Gasia: [00:11:18] How much does a single dose of this treatment cost?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:11:21] Approximately for developing countries? The treatment cost is €20,000. And in those countries, it’s something people cannot afford for such a price, it’s unaffordable for many persons living with cancer worldwide. This is why we are here, and our objective is, through this program, is to have 2000 doses administered in five years.

Caroline Gasia: [00:11:46] So can citizens also donate to the foundation? Because pharmaceutical sector funding might not be enough, right?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:11:53] We are very lucky to have these pharmaceutical companies donating treatment doses for these patients, but of course, so it’s a very good first step. But it is not enough to achieve our moonshot, this objective for those patients because it this represents a project of €10 million in five years. So, the donation that we have today is not enough to reach this target. But we are very optimistic, and I’m very pretty much convinced we can reach this moonshot.

Caroline Gasia: [00:12:20] And we hope this podcast helps you receive significant donations from citizens too! Now, before we started recording, you mentioned two annual events where you participate every year, one related to prostate cancer and the other a global marathon. Is that correct?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:12:36] Yes. Every year we organize a “Tackle cancer challenge”, it’s a sport challenge activity, so it combines both: physical activity and donation to help patients. So, basically how it works, so a patient can install an application on their mobile phone, and they can register during two weeks per year their sport activity. And it’s converted into a running unit. So, this year we had more than 500 participants, and together we could reach a 6000km altogether. So, it’s a world tour that we’ve been able to achieve all together with the objective first to raise awareness around radioligand therapy, but also to collect funds because we could have sponsors, companies organizing team building activities. And also, it allows you to discuss why are we running for again? “Oh yes, about Radioligand therapy, what is it?”. And then, you know, you create this virtuous circle that we are trying to generate in every of our activities.

Caroline Gasia: [00:13:40] And what about prostate cancer?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:13:41] Every year there is this movement called “Movember”, it has been initiated by the “Prostate Cancer Foundation”. And it’s during November, it’s a month where we raise awareness around prostate cancer and all possible treatments available for. Because it’s the first incidence worldwide in male cancers, it’s prostate cancer, and so we are working on “RLT” channel. It’s broadcast, broadcasts dedicated to patients to explain the options of radioligand therapy in prostate cancer.

Caroline Gasia: [00:14:16] Do you also work on cancer prevention or is that outside the foundation’s scope?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:14:21] We have the radio theranostics and we really focus on the therapy part because, if we want to have an impact, we have to focus on something. And it’s really my role in the foundation, is always to focus on our activities in order to have the highest impact possible for the patients.

Caroline Gasia: [00:14:38] I have a message for our audience, please think about how many people you know in your family or circle who have had or currently have cancer, and even those who have sadly passed away from it. Cancer touches everyone and we should all contribute with the donations to help advance this technology that holds so much promise. Since when has the foundation existed?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:15:00] It’s a very good question. The foundation has been created by Doctor Zimmermann 14 years ago, but he didn’t have the neither the time nor the funding to run the foundation. So, we really start the operating activities of the foundation six years ago, when I joined the foundation, and we could start building a team. Today almost 12 persons full time working at the foundation here in Belgium, but with a global scope. I can say that we are now having a real impact in the lives of patients, and that’s what’s really motivating me, is receiving all these messages from patients whose life could be saved thanks to this “RLT Connect” program. It’s really every time, I admit, it’s always heartwarming. And when we receive those messages in the team, it’s always like a victory that we have. And we now have a close relationship with those people where we exchange pictures of our success, but also of their life and having messages like, last week we received a message from a patient from Argentina say look, “Thanks to you, I can hold my granddaughter in my hands. Aw, yeah thanks of the Oncidium foundation. Now I can have a normal life”. For me, it’s gold and it’s worth really waking up every morning.

Caroline Gasia: [00:16:25] So many testimonials give you the strength to keep going. Sharing what you do on social media is also important. You don’t just need donations; you also need visibility. So, we invite everyone listening to this podcast to share, like and comment on all your posts on every platform where you’re active. Could you also share your website address?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:16:47] So you can visit us on Oncidium-Foundation.org or follow us on every social media if you look for “Oncidium Foundation”.

Caroline Gasia: [00:16:57] Please listeners follow these pages, not just to stay informed, but also because every reaction to a post from the “Oncidium Foundation” boosts their visibility. And that’s essential. We’re reaching the end of this podcast with our closing HR questions. How would you define a great HR professional?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:17:15] For the “Oncidium Foundation” I decided not to have any HR specific position. I have this feeling that the impulsion and the motivation should come from the leadership of the foundation. This is why I decided that the “Oncidium Foundation” would be run only through collective intelligence, because that’s really motivating me and I have seen through experience in the past from “IBA Group” for example, who implemented this really at a global scale, at very large scale, that really DM the impact on the motivation of the team is ready and motivated people are people that are performing.

Caroline Gasia: [00:17:58] If you had one message for all HR professionals, leaders, managers or CEOs listening to us, what would you say?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:18:06] I would suggest to include a saving life programs like ours into their SDG program. So today every company needs to have an SDG program implemented, so helping non-profit organizations like ours give also a lot of meanings and also a motivation for their own team as well to realize that they can take part to a global initiative like ours. So, supporting us with of course donation, but also with visibility, or with any kind of support, they think they are able to help us. I mean, we need for example, in-kind donation as well.

Caroline Gasia: [00:18:47] And let’s not forget about sponsors.

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:18:49] And also sponsors of course.

Caroline Gasia: [00:18:51] So sponsors can also contact you, correct?

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:18:54] Yes, please. So, we do have a donate button directly on our website or that allows also tax deduction. That might be interesting to mention as well.

Caroline Gasia: [00:19:04] Thank you Rebecca.

Rebecca Lo Bue: [00:19:05] Thank you for having me with you Caroline today.

Caroline Gasia: [00:19:08] A reminder to our listeners: in the podcast text, there’s a link to leave a voice message with a question, a comment, a note of gratitude, or a recommendation. Be generous, make donations and remember that this year, “Podcasthon” is extending its reach to English speaking podcasters. Spread the word and join this fantastic solidarity movement next year too. Thank you and see you soon for more podcast adventures!

Jingle Outro: [00:19:35] Search for radio frequency (old radio mode: crackles), a channel is picked up and the sound stabilizes: “You’r listening The Podcast Factory Org”

Caroline Gasia: [00:19:37] Caroline Gasia: This podcast project is an initiative created and offered by the non-profit organisation “The Podcast Factory Org”, with sponsorship from “transforma bxl – Innovation Playground”. Since January 2025 and for the next five years, we are also sponsored by “Plugin Company”, our preferred charging station and card operator. “The Podcast Factory Org” is very proud to be a member of “Kaya” Coalition of EcoPreneurs, and to collaborate with the “Love Health Center”. You can find all episodes of all our podcasts on the website “What’s your story dot be”?

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