Drs. Jeanne Link and Kenneth Krohn are experts in radiochemistry, PET imaging and data analysis and bring decades of experience in advising scientists on how using PET tracers can expand their research. They have a track record of major research support for incorporating PET imaging and provide support for integrating imaging into the research of other investigators. Current research at OHSU utilizes radiochemistry in order to drive discoveries in oncology, neurology, pharmacology, cardiology, regenerative medicine, circadian rhythms, metabolism, infectious disease and more.

Our imaging agents involve labeling small amounts (ng-µgs) of material for which we know the precise amount of radioactivity per amount of mass. Images from the PET scanner report radioactivity/voxel in the image so that the result is a quantitative measure in molar units of the concentration of tracer in a given tissue for selected time intervals. This leads to measures such as receptor density or metabolic rates in pmol/L or flow as mL/sec/cm3 of tissue. This capability is very sensitive, specific and unique among the total body imaging tools.

The short lifetime of many of our imaging agents adds the potential to do repeat studies in a single imaging session. For example, we can measure myocardial perfusion before and after exercise, metabolism before and after a drug orpre-synaptic and post-synaptic function of the sympathetic nervous system. Many of these experiments use 11C-labeled radiopharmaceuticals (T1/2 = 20 min) so most of the injected radioactivity is gone within an hour.

Opportunities

Postdoctoral, student and other research positions and training opportunities are available within the Center for Radiochemistry Research. Please contact Hope Phillips at phillhop@ohsu.edu to inquire about current opportunities.