x
Research Overview
Radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) and radiopharmaceutical imaging are powerful techniques with the ability to image disease non-invasively and subsequently treat the diseased tissue by injecting a radioactive isotope fused to a disease-targeting biomolecule. The targeting vector (aka biomolecule) is often a small molecule, peptide, or antibody which exhibits high affinity for over-expressed surface receptors on diseased cells (e.g., cancer cells).
Covalent attachment of the radionuclide to a
biomolecule ensures that the radioactive payload is specifically and efficiently delivered to the cells
or tissue that a physician needs to image or treat. Our lab exploits metallic radionuclides (aka
radiometals) and their diverse radioactive decay properties for both imaging and therapy of disease. For
example, radioisotopes that decay via gamma ray or positron emission can be used for single-photon
emission computed tomography (SPECT), or positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, respectively.
Radioisotopes that emit beta particles, alpha particles, or Meitner-Auger electrons can be used for RPT,
since these radioactive emissions are associated with high linear energy transfer (LET), and can cause
harm and kill target cells.
A key advantage of radiometals (vs conventional non-metallic radionuclides) is the availability of
multiple isotopes of the same element with appropriate decay characteristics that can be exploited for
either imaging or therapy. This combination of imaging to diagnose, stage and track disease with therapy
to treat has been termed “theranostics” - as is the future of nuclear medicine. Our lab works across the
periodic table with an overall goal to develop theranostic radiometal pairs - from beamline to bedside.