Radiotracer development for imaging studies in addiction

NUCL 106

Joanna S. Fowler, fowler@bnl.gov1, Jean Logan, fowler@bnl.gov1, Gene-Jack Wang, gjwang@bnl.gov2, and Nora D. Volkow, nvolkow@nida.nih.gov3. (1) Chemistry Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Bldg 555, Upton, NY 11973, (2) Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Bldg 490, Upton, NY 11973, (3) National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD 20892
Molecular imaging using positron emission tomography (PET) and labeled compounds continues to provide new knowledge of brain circuits which are altered in disease and by drugs. This knowledge generates new opportunities to design and develop better drugs and to monitor treatment. The advancement of molecular imaging and the translation of new scientific tools to problems in biology and medicine requires advances in radiotracer chemistry, particularly in the development of rapid synthetic methods for introducing the short-lived isotopes, carbon-11 (t1/2: 20.4 min) and fluorine-18 (t1/2: 110 min) into a wide variety of chemical compounds. In this presentation, we highlight some examples of the use of PET and selective radiotracers to measure the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs of abuse on the human and animal brain. Supported by the U. S. DOE, Office of Biological and Environmental Research and the NIH (NIDA and NIBIB) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
 

Recent Advances in Molecular Imaging
8:25 AM-12:15 PM, Thursday, 14 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Room 270, Oral

Division of Nuclear Chemistry & Technology

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006