Stephen M. Moerlein, PharmD, PhD

Associate Professor of Radiology

Washington University in St. Louis (WU)

Research interests lie in the general area of labeled tracer development for nuclear medicine imaging, especially positron-emission tomography (PET). Developmental effort begins with synthesis of target structures, preclinical screening that involves in vitro biochemistry and pharmacological testing, and ex vivo biodistribution studies in small animals. Promising tracers are then examined by in vivo imaging of animal subjects and tracer kinetic modeling. The final step in the transition of a radiochemical into a labeled drug takes into account radiation dosimetry, pharmaceutical quality, and the development of automated production to streamline delivery to human subjects. Each of these aspects of radiopharmaceutical development are investigated, with a primary emphasis in novel agents for evaluation of pathological processes in neurology,psychiatry and oncology.