Dr. Achilefu is Professor of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biophysics, as well as the Director of Optical Radiology Lab (ORL) at Washington University in St. Louis. The ORL uses a multidisciplinary approach to address important biomedical problems and provide interdisciplinary training to students and postdoctoral fellows. ORL is particularly interested in developing molecular systems and methods to detect diseases at early stages, prevent disease complications, and implement tailored therapeutic regimen. Areas of interest include molecular optical imaging of tumors and angiogenesis as well as the design and development of new molecular probes and nanomaterials for imaging the expression of aberrant genes, proteins, and other pathophysiologic processes. Specific delivery of imaging agents and drugs to target cell organelles or tissue is another area of interest. In addition, the research program involves the biological evaluation of the new materials to assess ligand trafficking in cells, cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, subcellular distribution, enzyme kinetics, and activation of specific molecular pathways in cells. Small animal molecular imaging of pathologic tissues with state-of-the-art optical imaging systems provides preclinical data before human studies. ORL is also interested in developing tissue-specific multi-modal imaging molecules that harness the strengths of optical with other imaging methods such as MRI and PET. Instrument development is a significant part of our research. The lab has a multidisciplinary team of investigators with expertise in a wide range of fields, including chemistry, molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, physics, engineering, veterinary medicine, pathology, and immunology. Collaboration with other labs and institutions is highly encouraged. Dr. Achilefu has published more than 150 scientific papers and received more than 50 US patents as an inventor. He is a Fellow of the SPIE.
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In this present study, we prepared cRGD-conjugates using different linkers and determined how they altered the tumor targeting efficiency in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrate that different linkers significantly altered the pharmacokinetics of the cRGD conjugates and the tumor uptake kinetics. Unlike large antibodies, this preliminary finding shows that linkers used to attach drugs and fluorescent molecular probes to small peptides play a major role in the accuracy of tumor targeting and treatment outcomes. As a result, considerable attention should be paid to the nature of linkers used in the design of molecular probes and targeted therapeutics.
Errata: Noninvasive imaging of focal atherosclerotic lesions using fluorescence molecular tomography
Characterization of quenched fluorescent triple helical peptides for MMP-2 and MMP-9 optical imaging
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Diverse optical diagnostic and therapeutic agents are currently in development for biomedical applications. Some applications are effective with endogenous photoactive residues, others require the use of exogenous products that absorb or emit light in the region of interest. This course introduces the audience to the design and use of exogenous optical agents for various medical interventions, and highlights cases where exogenous photoactive agents are needed. The course also gives an overview of the status of diverse photoactive agents in clinical and pre-clinical settings. The concept of "photomedicine", where optical agents are used for therapy and diagnosis, is introduced. A comparison of optical modality with established imaging modalities (nuclear medicine, MRI, X-ray, and ultrasound) is presented, with emphasis in areas of complementarity.
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