Publications

As one of the major excitatory ion channels in the brain, NMDA receptors have been a leading research target for neuroscientists, physicians, medicinal chemists and pharmaceutical companies for decades. Molecular imaging of NMDA receptors by means of positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]GE-179 quickly progressed to clinical PET studies but a thorough understanding of its binding specificity has been missing and has thus limited signal ...

Family A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) control diverse biological processes and are of great clinicalrelevance. Their archetype rhodopsin becomes naturally light sensitive by binding covalently to the photoswitchable tetheredligand (PTL) retinal. Other GPCRs, however, neither bind covalently to ligands nor are light sensitive. We sought toimpart the logic of rhodopsin to light-insensitive Family A GPCRs in order to enable their remote ...

Cardiac diseases have complex molecular origins. However, current clinical diagnostic tools are ofteninadequate to uncover specific molecular components of cardiac pathologies. Thus, we are still lackinga detailed understanding of disease progression, and both patient diagnosis and treatment are ofteninaccurate. Molecular imaging could play a leading role in translating basic research to both preclinicaland clinical cardiac research, ultimately ...

The key function of the heart, a well-orchestrated series of contractions, is controlled by cardiac action potentials. These action potentials are initiated and propagated by a single isoform of voltage gated sodium channels - SCN5A. However, linking changes in SCN5A expression levels to human disease in vivo has not yet been possible. Radiocaine, an F-18 radiotracer for positron emission tomography (PET), is the first SCN5A imaging agent in the ...