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Pilot Projects

Thomas J. Meade, Ph.D., is the project leader. Co-investigators involved in the project are: Vinayak Dravid, Ph.D.; Al B. Benson, III, M.D.; Dean Ho, Ph.D.; John Kalapurakal, M.D.; Mary Mulcahy, M.D.; and Steven T. Rosen, M.D. Collaborators on the project are: Tadanori Tomita, M.D.; Reed Omary, M.D.; and Hidayatullah G. Munshi, M.D.

The overarching goal of this project is to develop new theranostic probes that exploit the rapidly advancing field of nanotechnology.

The group is developing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agents that are 10-100 times more sensitive than currently used agents and can be used for simultaneous imaging and treatment of cancer. They are using bioactivated probes attached to magnetic nanostructure (MNS) platforms to allow for reporting on physiological properties of lesions and tumors. The status of the tumor can then be correlated to treatment efficacy. The bioactivated probes will be used to image cell fate and migration, gene expression, and secondary messenger activation in vivo. Molecular imaging is an important tool for biological sciences and the clinical areas. In order to maximize the impact of these techniques, sensitive contrast agents must be developed that are also functional.

Our interconnection of design, synthesis and characterization, in vivo delivery, biological validation, and imaging is at a fundamental level.

This is a team of investigators whose specialties include synthetic and materials chemistry, MNS preparation, molecular imaging, and oncology. The project team is partnering with ScinoPharm, Inc., an internationally-recognized therapeutics development firm (U.S. FDA-approved facility) to develop novel nanomaterial-based strategies for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The ScinoPharm team is serving in an advisory capacity towards the commercialization and translation of CCNE technologies to clinical application, and in a research and development capacity pertaining to new drug synthesis and drug modification.