Cambridge PET Neurochemist Training Programme

Title of project or programme
Cambridge PET Neurochemist Training Programme
Principal Investigators of project/programme grant

Address of institution of lead PI

Country
United Kingdom
Source of funding information
Medical Research Council
Total sum awarded (Euro)
699505.41
Start date of award
01-03-2010
Total duration of award in months
48
The project/programme is most relevant to
Neurodegenerative disease in general
Keywords

Research abstract in English
To address one of the major restrictions on the use of the molecular imaging technique of positron emission tomography (PET) for neuroscience research at Cambridge, the lack of trained PET chemists to design and prepare the required brain imaging probes, proposed is an integrated programme of training and research. In partnership with PET centres, academic and industrial, in the US and Europe we have constructed a training programme designed to train a post-doctoral scientist with a PhD background in chemistry to group leader capability within four yours. Integrated with this training, is the development of probes for the 5-HT2a receptors and beta-amyloid plaques and in the second phase of the programme collaboration with Siemens in the development of novel imaging probes for neurofibrillary tangles, one of the main neuropathological features of Alzheimer s disease (AD) and other dementias.

The tracers will then be applied to PET imaging projects in the area of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, with a focus on 1) preclinical studies that have significant translational aspects and 2) human research projects targeted toward understanding the mechanisms of neurological diseases and thereby identifying potential therapeutics. The proposed projects include; i) studies on impulsivity based on imaging 5-HT2a receptors on rats with this behavioural trait; ii) imaging serotonergic modulation in marmosets to investigate mechanistic components common to various neuropsychiatric disorders such of schizophrenia, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder; iii) the role of 5-HT2a in frontotemporal dementia and iv) evaluation of the novel beta-amyloid tracer in AD and MCI patients and normal control subjects, coupled with autoradiographic experiments on brain tissue.
Lay summary

Cambridge PET Neurochemist Training Programme

Investments > €500k
United Kingdom
Neurodegenerative disease in general
2011