Professional Overview
Honors and Awards
- Travel Fellowship, Alzheimer's Association International Conference - Boston, USA, - (2013)
- Travel Award, World Molecular Imaging Congress - Kyoto, Japan, - (2010)
- John A Lamberton Research Scholarship, - (2005-2008)
- Australian Postgraduate Award, - (2005-2008)
- Travel Award, International Symposium on Radiopharmaceutical Sciences - Aachen, Germany, - (2007)
- Best Oral Presentation Award, Royal Australian Chemistry Institute Drug Design Conference, - (2006)
Professional Education
| Doctor of Philosophy: | University Of Sydney (2008) |
| B.S.: | University of Sydney (2004) |
Stanford Advisors
| Sanjiv Gambhir: | Postdoctoral Faculty Sponsor |
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
My research is focused on developing and evaluating molecular imaging agents for visualizing neurological diseases in living subjects.
In particular, I am interested in imaging neuroinflammation, microglial activation, neurodegeneration, cognitive decline, and neurogenesis using positron emission tomography (PET). Non-invasive PET imaging of these biochemical processes in living, intact, subjects may lead to an enhanced understanding of a range of brain disorders (including Alzheimers disease, stroke and depression), ultimately generating effective diagnostic techniques and treatment strategies.
My Ph.D. was focused on the development of novel PET radioligands for imaging the translocator protein (18kDa) (TSPO). Since TSPO expression reflects microglial activation and neuroinflammation, radioligands for this protein may act as valuable tools in detecting regions of active brain disease before any clinical signs manifest. These radioligands may also be used to study disease progression and monitor treatment effectiveness.
Publications
- Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) signaling in injured neurons facilitates protection and survival. J Exp Med. 2013; (1): 157-72
- A molecular imaging primer: modalities, imaging agents, and applications. Physiol Rev. 2012; (2): 897-965
- New positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand for imaging σ-1 receptors in living subjects. J Med Chem. 2012; (19): 8272-82
- Preclinical evaluation of Raman nanoparticle biodistribution for their potential use in clinical endoscopy imaging. Small. 2011; (15): 2232-40
- [11C]-DPA-713 and [18F]-DPA-714 as new PET tracers for TSPO: a comparison with [11C]-(R)-PK11195 in a rat model of herpes encephalitis. Mol Imaging Biol. 2009 Nov-Dec; (6): 386-98
- Comparative evaluation of the translocator protein radioligands 11C-DPA-713, 18F-DPA-714, and 11C-PK11195 in a rat model of acute neuroinflammation. J Nucl Med. 2009; (3): 468-76
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