Welch Group
Michael J. Welch, Ph.D.
Acute Vascular Injury
Division of Radiological Sciences
School of Medicine, Box 8225
Washington University in Saint Louis
510 South Kingshighway Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63110-4899
phone: +1 314 362-8435
fax: +1 314 362-8399
Goals for the Initial PEN Grant
Welch’s group research focuses on the development of new molecular imaging agents to be used in positron emission tomography (PET) and of new radiopharmaceuticals for therapy. A major research area is the development of new labeling techniques that can be accomplished with short half-life radionuclides (11C, 15O, 13N, 18F). A particular interest has centered on the labeling of agents that can be used to assess the receptor status of breast and prostate cancers.
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Michael J. Welch and former investigator, Jason S. Lewis
(photo by Robert Boston) |
Furthermore, within the Research Resource project, Welch’s co-workers are developing routine methods for the production of non-standard radionuclides, such as 76Br, 77Br, 124I, 86Y, 94mTc, 66Ga, 60Cu, 61Cu, 64Cu. These radionuclides are provided to several institutions within the US for imaging and therapy research. Since several of these radionuclides have positron energies higher than those commonly used for PET imaging, the interaction of high-energy positron emitters with commercially available PET instruments is also evaluated.
Within the NHLBI-PEN project, the group carries out basic and advanced evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo behavior of the produced nanoscale agents. Both native and targeted particles are labeled with positron-emitting radionuclides such as 64Cu. Then small animal imaging techniques (microPET, microCT) are used to assess the particles bioavailability and their ability to reach the sites of vascular injury and inflammation.
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| MicroPET images of native (upper panel) and PEGylated (lower panel) 64Cu-labeled shell crosslinked nanoparticles in normal mice at 1 h, 4 h, and 24 h post-injection |
| (X. Sun et al., Biomacromolecules, 2005, 6, 2541-2554) |
Facilities
The Division of Radiological Sciences has 14 research laboratories comprising 3,225 square feet. The laboratories are equipped for synthesis and evaluation of radioactive and non-radioactive compounds. Specific equipment includes a cell culture suite, several HPLC and FPLC systems, a LC-Mass Spectrometer, radio-TLC scanners, radioactivity dose calibrators, two autoradiography devices, gamma and beta counters, etc.
The small animal imaging facility is built around State-of-the-Art small animal imaging technology. This technology is housed in newly refurbished laboratory space specifically designed for the non-invasive delineation of disease in rodent models. The facility includes animal housing, physiologic support and monitoring equipment, surgical procedure rooms, and data analysis and archival systems. The imaging equipment includes two Concorde MicroSystem microPET-FOCUS, one microPET-R4, and one ImTek microCAT II System.
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| Small animal imaging facility |
The radiotracers for imaging studies are produced in the Washington University Medical Center Cyclotron Facility, which includes three cyclotrons, several shielded hot cells and a laminar flow hot cell, GC and HPLC systems for quality control and other equipment for the production of PET radiopharmaceuticals.
These facilities are supported by research grants from the National Institute of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the Department of Energy.
People
Michael J. Welch, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator and Imaging Component Leader
Division of Radiological Sciences
Washington University School of Medicine
Phone: +1 314 362-8436
Fax: +1 314 362-8399
welchm@wustl.edu
Yongjian Liu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Division of Radiological Sciences
Washington University School of Medicine
Phone: +1 314 362-8431
Fax:+1 314 362-8399
liuyo@mir.wustl.edu
Charles R. M. Glaus, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Division of Radiological Sciences
Washington University School of Medicine
Phone: +1 314 362-8399
Fax: +1 314 362-5026
glausc@wustl.edu
Suzanne Elizabeth Lapi, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator
Assistant Professor of Radiology
Washington University School of Medicine
Phone: +1 314 362-8435
Fax: +1 314 362-5026
lapis@wustl.edu