Prasad Wins SNMMI Mars Shot Prize

Vikas Prasad, MD, PhD, associate professor of radiology at WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, is one of three recipients of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Mars Shot Fund. The $100,000 grant is awarded to those who leverage precision nuclear medicine and theranostics to illuminate new paths to curing complex diseases, such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Prasad was awarded the Early Detection of Prostate Cancer Mars Shot grant, which goes to research proposals focused on advancing prostate cancer care through redefining how micrometastatic and low-volume disease is detected. His proposal, “Boosting PSMA Expression for Precision Detection of Local Residual Disease and Metastases Pre-Radiation Therapy,” aims to examine prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expression to help pave the way for more targeted and effective treatment strategies.

All prostate cells contain a low level of PSMA, which is elevated when cancer is present. New FDA-approved drugs that identify more prostate cancer lesions compared to previously developed tracers are reinventing how scientists stage prostate cancer.

WashU Medicine’s theranostics program, a joint venture between MIR’s Division of Nuclear Medicine and the Department of Radiation Oncology, is an SNMMI-designated Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Center of Excellence. Prasad, whose research focus is neuroendocrine neoplasms and prostate cancer, said theranostics is driving precision oncology to the next level by unraveling the molecular makeup of these malignancies.

The Mars Shot Fund was established by Richard L. Wahl, MD, professor of radiology and former MIR director, when he served as SNMMI president.