The work will be performed in the laboratory of radiopharmaceutical research under the direct supervision of Prof. F. Cleeren (www.radiopharmacy.be). The lab is equipped with all the necessary state-of-the-at equipment for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. For the pre-clinical validation of novel diagnostic and therapeutic radiotracers in small animals, dedicated imaging instrumentation can be accessed at the Molecular Small Animal Imaging Centre (moSAIC). Novel radiopharmaceuticals are translated to the clinic in direct collaboration with the Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (NMMI) unit of the University Hospital (UZ) Leuven. KU Leuven is one of the top 50 universities in the world (top 10 in Europe) according to the "Times Higher Education" ranking, and ranks #7 (top in Europe) in the "Worlds Most Innovative Universities" ranking elaborated by Reuters. KU Leuven offers an exciting multi-disciplinary research environment, a broad range of training courses for PhD students, and full social and medical insurance.
ProjectIncreased understanding of the crucial role of chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in tumor biology has resulted in the development of radiopharmaceuticals that can provide sensitive detection of CXCR4 expression and allow patient selection for CXCR4-targeted therapies. The radiopharmaceutical is distributed within the body by the vascular system and allows targeting of a primary tumor and all its metastases. The specific decay characteristics of the radionuclide determine if the radiopharmaceutical can be used for diagnostic (e.g. PET, SPECT) or therapeutic (targeted radionuclide therapy) purposes (theranostic approach).68Ga-Pentixafor is the only CXCR4-targeted imaging agent that has found broad clinical applicability so far. However, due to the low production capacity, implementation of 68Ga-Pentixafor in clinical practice is still limited. Fluorine-18 (18F) is the radionuclide of choice for PET and a 18F-labeled CXCR4-targeted radiopharmaceutical is highly warranted. Further, results with the therapeutic companion radiopharmaceutical 177Lu-Pentixather are promising, but there is still room for improvement regarding pharmacokinetics and dosimetry profile. Moreover, a CXCR4-targeted radiopharmaceutical labeled with an α-emitter might present a breakthrough in therapy of various CXCR4 expressing tumors such as multiple myeloma. Therefore,the aim of this project is to develop innovative CXCR4 radiopharmaceuticals from bench to bedside, both for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, starting from new vector molecules that have not been explored yet for nuclear medicine applications. The project will involve, but is not limited to, organic synthesis, various analytical techniques (NMR, HPLC, HRMS, …), radiochemistry with diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides, in vitro cell work, in vivo imaging studies in small animals, therapeutic efficacy studies in tumor models and preparation for clinical translation in collaboration with Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (NMMI) unit (Prof. C. Deroose). Profile
OfferWe offer a fulltime PhD position for 1 year, extendable to 4 years after initial positive evaluation. Training in safe handling of radioactive compounds is provided. Interested?For more information please contact Prof. dr. Frederik Cleeren, tel.: +32 16 37 72 37, mail: frederik.cleeren@kuleuven.be. You can apply for this job no later than February 01, 2021 via the
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