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Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section

Research images from the Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section, a multidisciplinary research and education group in the Department of Radiology.

Focus

The Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section is a multidisciplinary research and education group in the Department of Radiology.

The focus of the group is the development of new radiopharmaceuticals that provide diagnostic information on various organs in normal and disease states. Current research interests include developing imaging agents for CNS receptors (dopamine, serotonin neurotransmitter systems), Aß plaque-specific agents for imaging Alzheimer's disease, and sigma-2 specific agents targeting breast tumor imaging.  In the last few years imaging of changes in tumor metabolism via glutaminolysis is a major effort. Several C-11 and F-18 glutamine-based PET imaging agents targeting FDG/PET negative tumors have been prepared and were tested in IND studies. Major research activity comprises a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines: drug design, organic synthesis, radiochemistry, receptor pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, PET and SPECT imaging. 

 

Faculty and Staff

Hank Kung, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Radiology and Director, Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section

Hank Kung, PhD

Emeritus Professor of Radiology

Primary Investigator, Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section
Email: kunghf@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Karl Ploessl headshot

Karl Ploessl, PhD

Senior Research Associate
Email: ploessl@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
David Alexoff

David Alexoff

Staff
Email: David.Alexoff@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Recent Publications

  1. Alexoff D, Ploessl K, Zhao R, Li L, Kim D, Zhu L, Kung H. Optimization of the radiosynthesis of the PSMA-targeting drugs [177Lu]Lu-P17-087 and [177Lu]Lu-P17-088 on the MiniLu™ automated module. EJNMMI Radiopharm Chem. 2025 Nov 17;10(1):75. doi: 10.1186/s41181-025-00400-4. PMID: 41249585; PMCID: PMC12623512.
  2. Alexoff D, Wong DF, Kuwabara H, Dannals RF, Ploessl K, Kung HF. Head to head comparison of two PET/CT imaging agents, [18F]D3FSP ([18F]P16-129) and [18F]AV45, in patients with alzheimer's disease. EJNMMI Res. 2025 Jun 22;15(1):77. doi: 10.1186/s13550-025-01276-w. PMID: 40544409; PMCID: PMC12183142.
  3. Zhao R, Lv J, Li M, Xu S, Liang W, Lin X, Gu D, Zeng G, Jin W, Yan Q, Zhong H, Alexoff D, Ploessl K, Zhu L, Kung HF, Wang X. First-in-human study of dosimetry, safety and efficacy for [177Lu]Lu-P15-073: a novel bisphosphonate-based radioligand therapy (RLT) agent for bone metastases. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2025 Feb;52(3):925-935. doi: 10.1007/s00259-024-06942-0. Epub 2024 Oct 18. PMID: 39419848.
  4. Zhao R, Chen J, Ye T, Chu J, Li J, Zhang Y, Xu S, Liu S, Chen L, Ploessl K, Alexoff D, Kung HF, Zhu L, Wang X. First-in-human study of D6-[18F]FP-(+)-DTBZ, a novel VMAT2 tracer: whole-body biodistribution and brain PET comparison with [18F]FP-(+)-DTBZ (AV-133). EJNMMI Radiopharm Chem. 2024 Oct 16;9(1):71. doi: 10.1186/s41181-024-00301-y. PMID: 39412702; PMCID: PMC11484983.
  5. Li L, Wang J, Wang G, Wang R, Jin W, Zang J, Sui H, Jia C, Jiang Y, Hong H, Zhu L, Alexoff D, Ploessl K, Kung HF, Zhu Z. Comparison of novel PSMA-targeting [177Lu]Lu-P17-087 with its albumin binding derivative [177Lu]Lu-P17-088 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients: a first-in-human study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2024 Jul;51(9):2794-2805. doi: 10.1007/s00259-024-06721-x. Epub 2024 Apr 25. PMID: 38658392.
  6. Alexoff D, Choi SR, Ploessl K, Kim D, Zhao R, Zhu L, Kung H. Optimization and scale up of production of the PSMA imaging agent [18F]AlF-P16-093 on a custom automated radiosynthesis platform. EJNMMI Radiopharm Chem. 2024 Feb 23;9(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s41181-024-00247-1. PMID: 38393404; PMCID: PMC10891009.
  7. Zhao R, Xia Z, Ke M, Lv J, Zhong H, He Y, Gu D, Liu Y, Zeng G, Zhu L, Alexoff D, Kung HF, Wang X, Sun T. Determining the optimal pharmacokinetic modelling and simplified quantification method of [18F]AlF-P16-093 for patients with primary prostate cancer (PPCa). Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2024 Jun;51(7):2124-2133. doi: 10.1007/s00259-024-06624-x. Epub 2024 Jan 29. PMID: 38285206.
  8. Zhao R, Ke M, Lv J, Liu S, Liu Y, Zhang J, Xu L, Gu D, Li M, Cai C, Liu Y, Zeng G, Alexoff D, Ploessl K, Zhu L, Kung HF, Wang X. First-in-human study of PSMA-targeting agent, [18F]AlF-P16-093: dosimetry and initial evaluation in prostate cancer patients. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2024 May;51(6):1753-1762. doi: 10.1007/s00259-024-06596-y. Epub 2024 Jan 12. PMID: 38212531.
  9. Zha Z, Ploessl K, Choi SR, Zhao R, Jin W, Wang R, Alexoff D, Zhu L, Kung HF. Lu-177-Labeled Hetero-Bivalent Agents Targeting PSMA and Bone Metastases for Radionuclide Therapy. J Med Chem. 2023 Sep 14;66(17):12602-12613. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01294. Epub 2023 Sep 5. PMID: 37670407.
  10. Bahler CD, Green MA, Tann MA, Swensson JK, Collins K, Alexoff D, Kung H, Brocken E, Mathias CJ, Cheng L, Hutchins GD, Koch MO. Assessing extra-prostatic extension for surgical guidance in prostate cancer: Comparing two PSMA-PET tracers with the standard-of-care. Urol Oncol. 2023 Jan;41(1):48.e1-48.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2022.10.003. Epub 2022 Nov 1. PMID: 36333187.
  11. Zha Z, Choi SR, Li L, Zhao R, Ploessl K, Yao X, Alexoff D, Zhu L, Kung HF. New PSMA-Targeting Ligands: Transformation from Diagnosis (Ga-68) to Radionuclide Therapy (Lu-177). J Med Chem. 2022 Oct 13;65(19):13001-13012. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00852. Epub 2022 Sep 14. PMID: 36103652.
  12. Lee H, Scheuermann JS, Young AJ, Doot RK, Daube-Witherspoon ME, Schubert EK, Fillare MA, Alexoff D, Karp JS, Kung HF, Pryma DA. Preliminary Evaluation of 68Ga-P16-093, a PET Radiotracer Targeting Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen in Prostate Cancer. Mol Imaging Biol. 2022 Oct;24(5):710-720. doi: 10.1007/s11307-022-01720-6. Epub 2022 Mar 29. PMID: 35349040.
  13. Xiao H, Choi SR, Zhao R, Ploessl K, Alexoff D, Zhu L, Zha Z, Kung HF. A New Highly Deuterated [18F]AV-45, [18F]D15FSP, for Imaging β-Amyloid Plaques in the Brain. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2021 Jun 21;12(7):1086-1092. doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00062. PMID: 34267878; PMCID: PMC8274066.
  14. Zha Z, Choi SR, Ploessl K, Alexoff D, Zhao R, Zhu L, Kung HF. Radiolabeling Optimization and Preclinical Evaluation of the New PSMA Imaging Agent [18F]AlF-P16-093. Bioconjug Chem. 2021 May 19;32(5):1017-1026. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.1c00177. Epub 2021 Apr 19. PMID: 33872489.
  15. Zhao R, Ploessl K, Zha Z, Choi S, Alexoff D, Zhu L, Kung HF. Synthesis and Evaluation of 68Ga- and 177Lu-Labeled (R)- vs (S)-DOTAGA Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-Targeting Derivatives. Mol Pharm. 2020 Dec 7;17(12):4589-4602. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00777. Epub 2020 Oct 27. PMID: 33108189.

Contact Us

Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section/Kung Lab
Department of Radiology
University of Pennsylvania
3700 Market Street, Room 305
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Phone: 215-662-3989
Fax: 215-349-5035

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