David J. Yang, Ph.D.
1983, Northeast Louisiana University
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Nuclear Medicine
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David J. Yang, Ph.D. 1983, Northeast Louisiana University The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center |
Research Interests:
My research goal is to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, planning and monitoring of treatment of cancer using functional pharmaceuticals. To demonstrate receptor imaging with PET and SPECT, we have developed 18-F-, 131-I-, 99mTc- and 111-In-labeled analogues of tamoxifen. Our clinical trial indicates that PET-[18-F]fluorotamoxifen provides useful information for predicting the effect of tamoxifen therapy in patiehts with recurrent or metastatic ER+ breast cancer. To assess the hypoxic component in brain ischemia, myocardial infarction, and various tumors, we have developed new nitroimidazole analogues and labeled them with 18-F, 99mTc-and 123-I/131-I for PET and SPECT respectively. Animal biodistribution, autoradiography and radionuclide imaging studies have demonstrated the successful application of these analogues in diagnosing tumor hypoxia and have shown that they exhibit radiosensitizing effects that lead to radiation-induced tumor growth delay. For DNA/RNA markers, we have developed 18-F, 99mTc-, 131-I-adenosine and guanosine. These labeled nucleosides appeared to have potential application in the evaluation of tumor volume. We developed microencapsulated cisplatin to treat human liver tumors. Encapsulation increases the tumor-drug contact time and may increase the tissue permeability of the drug because of the resultant anoxia. To demonstrate the usefulness of these new compounds, we select the most promising pharmaceuticals to apply to the FDA for a preliminary clinical trial. Currently, we have 99mTc-deoxyglucose and 99mTc-annexin V on clinical trial.
A tutorial in my laboratory would provide experience with technology
for cancer targeted imaging and drug delivery.