Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
My research interest is in the application of positron emission tomography (PET) in the field of oncology. PET images reflect biochemical processes of normal and abnormal tissues and is complementary to anatomic imaging modalities such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The ability of PET to quantify fundamental processes, such as oxygen metabolism, glucose metabolism, and receptor density, makes this technique very desirable to both investigators and clinicians. Now it is possible to co-register PET and CT images using PET/CT scanners. PET/CT has been shown to improve the accuracy of image interpretation. My current research projects include the conventional PET radiopharmaceutical, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), as well as a variety of unique PET radiopharmaceuticals such as 16?[18F]-fluoro-17?-estradiol (FES), an estrogen receptor based imaging tracer, (Cu)-diacetyl-bis[N4-methylthiosemicarbazone (CuATSM), a hypoxic imaging tracer, 18F-labeled 3′-deoxy-3’fluorothymidine (FLT) in rectal cancer, and 11C-acetate in prostate cancer.