Sharma Lab
Projects
Alzheimer’s Disease Imaging
Goal
Our group actively seeks positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) diagnostic agents that are capable of noninvasively evaluating the presence of β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregates and other proteins in vivo. Our objective is to identify PET/SPECT agents capable of identifying AD at earlier stages, prior to its full clinical expression. We are specifically interested in design and development of highly sensitive and specific imaging probes wherein PET imaging data on disease staging is in accord with globally accepted criteria of clinical dementia ratings (CDR).
Chemical and Radiopharmaceutical Synthesis
Employing state-of-the-art rational drug design tools, we are interested in the synthesis of small organic molecules, peptide conjugates, and metalloprobes to interrogate important biological pathways and identify new biomarkers. Other areas of near term interests are to extend the repertoire of our reporter probes into various biological applications via development of novel heterocyclic compounds for imaging reporter gene expression and cancer biology, chemiluminescent substrates for imaging inflammation, and near infrared optical probes for understanding critical disease-specific biochemical mechanism(s).
Multidrug Resistance and Blood-Brain Barrier Imaging
Goal
The Sharma Lab has identified a lead agent capable of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for assessing MDR1 Pgp functional transport activity in vivo.
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MPI)
Goal
Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), a versatile tool for clinical diagnosis, plays an important role in the noninvasive measurement of coronary artery disease (CAD). Currently, common single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) MPI agents for determining myocardial blood flow (MBF) in patients comprise 201Tl or 99mTc-complexes, such as 99mTc‑sestamibi and 99mTc-tetrofosmin.
Through structure-activity relationships (SAR), we have identified a lead PET agent that penetrates myocardium cells, localizes into mitochondria, and displays promising characteristics as a noninvasive MPI probe in vivo. Further validations and characterization in nonhuman primates are in progress.
Our People
The lab, led by Vijay Sharm, PhD, works at the interface of chemistry, medicinal chemistry, radiopharmaceutical science, biochemistry and biology.