Welch's Group

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.

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.

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

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.