Pre-clinical Study

Our team uses preclinical in-silico, in-vitro and in-vivo imaging studies to assess novel radiopharmaceuticals with the aim of translating them into clinical use. These radiopharmaceuticals are designed to target key disease signatures, as novel imaging biomarkers or targeted therapies.

Currently, our studies are focused on the development of novel PET imaging probes interrogating key markers or mediators of immune pathways implicated in various diseases (such as cancer, autoimmune and rheumatological diseases, infectious diseases).

Our studies are done in collaboration with SingHealth Experimental Medicine Centre, as well as Prof Ann-Marie Chacko’s Laboratory for Translational and Molecular Imaging (LTMI) at Duke-NUS Medical School. Other collaborators include A*STAR Bioinformatics Institute. 

Ongoing Projects

1.       68Ga-Radiolabeled Triphenylphosphonium Positron Emission Tomography (PET) tracer for mitochondrial targeting tumour imaging

• Background: Lipophilic organic cation triphenylphosphonium (TPP) represents a novel mitochondrial targeting molecular probe. A series of its derivatives have been labelled with Cu-64 radioisotope for imaging mitochondrial rich glioma tumour. We aim to develop 68Ga-radiolabeled TPP tracers for rhabdomyosarcoma tumour targeting; and to study the effects of targeting moiety, bifunctional chelator on biodistribution of the tracers. TPP ligands were radiolabelled with 68Ga at high efficiency and isolated in high purity. In vivo biodistribution studies showed uptake of 68Ga tracers to the rhabdomyosarcoma tumour using cell line RHB14-0120 was found with high tumour to normal tissue ratio. 
  

2.       Radiolabeled anti-disialoganglioside GD2 antibody imaging in human neuroblastoma orthotopic PDX: A theranostic proof of concept

• Background: The development of an imaging radiotracer based on Ch.14.18 CHO anti-GD2 antibody and perform preclinical studies, using the SPECT isotope 125I and PET isotope 124I. In vitro evaluation performed in immortalized NB cell lines (ATCC) and in patient-derived cell lines followed by ex vivo biodistribution (BioD)/PharmacoKinetics (PK) studies in patient-derived xenograft tumour mice models, coupled with in vivo SPECT/CT, PET/CT Imaging and immunohistochemical (IHC) correlation.

3.       Granzyme B-Targeting PET as a Predictive Imaging Biomarker of Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment Response

Ongoing Grants