2026 PET-RTRC Annual Workshops & Scientific Session

February 17 - 19, 2026

PET-RTRC 2025

Join us for the PET Radiotracer Translation and Resource Center (PET-RTRC) Workshops & Scientific Session. Registration is now open for the annual event, hosted by Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The PET-RTRC leverages the university’s expertise in PET radiotracer design, development, training and use with that of research groups throughout the country who are studying molecular and cellular processes of interest to facilitate the development and dissemination of novel PET radiotracers.




See below for more information about our upcoming workshops and scientific session. For more information or questions about the schedule, contact Michelle Hoelscher.

Eric P. Newman Education Center
Seminar Room B (2nd Floor)

Morning Program

Moderator: Buck Rogers, PhD

All times CST

8:00 am

Continental Breakfast

8:30 am

Welcome

8:40 am

Overview and Potential Targets

9:25 am

Innate Imaging

10:10 am

Break

10:30 am

Challenges and Successes in Lung Molecular Imaging

11:15 am

Imaging Macrophage Composition in Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatohepatitis

12:00 pm

Lunch


Afternoon Program

Moderator: Michael Nickels, PhD

All times CST

1:00 pm

PET and CV Imaging in Cardio-Oncology

1:45 pm

Neuroinflammation

2:30 pm

Exploring the Interplay Between ROS and Fibrosis in Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Eric P. Newman Education Center
Seminar Room B (2nd Floor)

Morning Program

Moderator: Michael Nickels, PhD

All times CST

8:00 am

Continental Breakfast

8:30 am

Overview and Preclinical Facility

9:15 am

Current Clinical Status of Infection & Inflammation Imaging in Nuclear Medicine

10:00 am

Break

10:15 am

Novel Approaches in Imaging Infectious Disease with PET

11:00 am

Translating [18F]Fluoromannitol from Bench to First-in-Human

11:45 am

Ask the Experts: FDA Regulations Roundtable Discussion

12:30 pm

Lunch


McDonnell Medical Sciences Building
Computer Lab, Room 100

Afternoon Program

Moderator: Buck Rogers, PhD

All times CST

1:30 pm

Image Analysis Procedures

By the end of this workshop, participants will have a foundational understanding of preclinical image analysis, with a focus on multimodal nuclear imaging (PET/SPECT/CT/MRI). Using Imalytics Preclinical as the demonstration platform, participants will be guided through common analysis workflows, including image loading, registration, segmentation, quantification and visualization. The workshop will also highlight how automated analysis tools can support consistency, reproducibility, and efficiency across multimodal nuclear imaging studies.

We plan to have an interactive session. If your lab has something they are working on or ready to share, please bring their own data; this can either be accessed via BOX by signing into their account on the PC, USB or portable drives.


* Accreditation: In support of improving patient care, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Credit Awarded for this Activity – American Medical Association (AMA): Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis designates this live activity for a maximum of 3.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Morning Program: Isotope Production, Theranostics, and Imaging Facility Tours

9:00–11:00 am
Meet at the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center lobby


Afternoon Program: Inflammation-Oxidative Stress

Learn more about the speakers.

All times CST

12:30 pm

Platelet Mitochondria: A Translational Tool and Hub of Redox Signaling

Moderator: Kooresh Shoghi, PhD

Sruti Shiva, PhD
University of Pittsburgh

1:30 pm

Targeting the NRF2 Pathway in Head & Neck Cancer

Moderator: Kooresh Shoghi, PhD

Paul Zolkind, MD
WashU Medicine

1:50 pm

Break

2:00 pm

Design, Preclinical Validation and Translation of Metalloradiopharmaceuticals for Biomedical Imaging: A Tale of 2 Mitochondrial-Targeted Gals

Moderator: Zhude Tu, PhD

Vijay Sharma, PhD
WashU Medicine

2:40 pm

Non-Invasive Imaging of Neuroinflammation in Multiple Sclerosis

Moderator: Zhude Tu, PhD

3:00 pm

Rapid Fire Talks

Moderator: Patrícia Ribeiro Pereira, PhD

10 presenters at 3 minutes each