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Roadmap to more specific nuclear imaging of infection
Start: 07/06/2018, 13:00
End: 07/06/2018, 14:00
Contact:Prof Donita Africander - 021 8085862/5882
Location: Biochemie Seminaarkamer A111 / Biochemistry Seminar Room A111

​Biochemistry Forum:  Guest Speaker

Speaker:  Dr Thomas Ebenhan

Title: Roadmap to more specific nuclear imaging of infection

PET/CT imaging plays an important role in molecular imaging and fortunately diversification of the use of the well-known but nonspecific Flourine18-Fluorodeoxyglucose-(18F-FDG) PET/CT to the use of radiometals such as Gallium-68 has created many new opportunities. The HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa has caused to fuel tuberculosis (TB) morbidity and mortality. Although TB is curable, it is still the leading infectious cause of death after HIV, worldwide. Current clinical tests are lacking specificity and accuracy to localize TB and other bacterial infection. Nuclear imaging has proven to be of clinical value in disease diagnostic and monitoring disease progression or therapy response. This lecture gives some rules and tools in nuclear medicine and radiopharmacy and the describe the challenge of currently approved nuclear imaging procedures to discriminate between bacterial infections and sterile inflammatory processes. In addition, novel research approaches are introduced capable of more bacteria-specific nuclear imaging.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Dr Thomas Ebenhan has joined South Africa in 2010 for a postdoctoral project in infection imaging.

He started his scientific education with studies in biochemistry at the University Tubingen, Germany focusing on pharmacology and toxicology. During his Master and PhD education he successfully entered the field of radiopharmacology and nuclear medicine and became multidisciplinary working researcher. During that time he was also employed by the Radiopharmacy and PET Center at Tubingen University conducting radiopharmaceutical production and quality control under GMP guidelines. From 2005-2009 he was working as a researcher for Novartis Pharma AG (Global Imaging Group) in collaboration with the animal imaging PET team at the Federal University of Zurich. He managed and conducted preclinical studies with focus on biomarker development for monitoring cancer angiogenesis and diseases related to cerebral dysfunction using imaging modalities such as µPET, MRI and BLI.

He currently investigates 68Ga labeled antimicrobial peptide fragments as infection imaging agents, optimizes the innovative 68Ge/68Ga generator based radiopharmaceutical production and tracks down suitable animal models to target tuberculosis with PET. He publishes in peer-reviewed journals and books and supervises several MSc and PhD students.

Date:  Thursday 07 June 2018

Time:  13:00

Venue:  Biochemistry Seminar Room A111,  JC Smuts Building

Contact person:  Prof Donita Africander

Tel:  021 8085862/5882

Email:  drho@sun.ac.za