Chemistry Seminar: Design and synthesis of Targeted Contrast Agents for MRI of Prostate Cancer
Design and synthesis of Targeted Contrast Agents for MRI of Prostate Cancer
Ricardo Carrion
Chemistry MS Candidate
School of Chemistry and Materials Science, RIT
Mr. Carrion will present on improving the literature synthesis of the targeting DCL module, and next developing a di-Gd T-HRCA with a lipophilic spacer to enhance solubility.
Register Here for Zoom Link
Abstract:
Gadolinium (Gd) based molecular imaging agents are frequently used in MRI for enhanced imaging of tissues. If we can target the Gd agent by binding it to a compound that specifically targets cancer tissue we would have a powerful targeted contrast agent (TCA) that can selectively distinguish cancer from normal tissue. The prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) receptor is a unique biomarker overly expressed in early and late stage prostate cancer (PCa) cells. A urea named DCL is a widely used agent to target and bind to the PSMA receptor. The combination of the DCL-urea and Gd in a state of high-relaxivity in MRI enables the creation of targeted high relaxivity contrast agents (T-HRCA). The higher the relaxivity of a molecule, the clearer an image is seen with MRI. In a previous project we fastened the targeting DCL to a low relaxivity Gd and showed that it bound to PCa cells in MRI. In a second pursuit, a constrained form, where the chelating ring is closely attached to the peptide backbone, was synthesized for an increase in relaxivity. In a third pursuit, two adjacent amino acids were joined to provide two attachment points for one chelating ring. The current activity is focused on first improving the literature synthesis of the targeting module, and next developing a di-Gd T-HRCA with a lipophilic spacer to enhance solubility.
Speaker Bio:
Ricardo Carrion was born and raised in Rochester, NY. He is a first-generation college student finishing his fourth year in the five-year BS-MS chemistry program at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Over the past three years, Ricardo has been a team member in the Molecular imaging Lab with Dr. Hans Schmitthenner. He was a founding member of the Inclusive Excellence Summer Research Program and received funding from the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and the NY State Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) in later years.
Intended Audience:
All are welcome.
To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
Interpreter Requested?
No