Talk Summary:
A wide variety of neuropsychiatric diseases involve the loss of neurons and synapses. We developed PET radiopharmaceuticals which bind selectively to a synaptic vesicle protein, SV2A, a target that is ubiquitously expressed in the brain, and thus provides an imaging paradigm to measure synaptic density in humans. This opens the opportunity for a novel imaging biomarker of neurodegeneration and synapse-modifying treatments to complement amyloid and tau imaging. The presentation will include the development of these ligands and preclinical and clinical studies. In addition, the presentation will include imaging results from a next-generation dedicated brain PET, the NeuroEXPLORER, which provides exceptional spatial resolution and sensitivity.

Presenter Biography:
Richard E. Carson received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 1983 in Biomathematics. His research focuses on the development and application of mathematical techniques for clinical and preclinical studies with Positron Emission Tomography (PET). After 22 years in the PET program at the National Institutes of Health, in 2005, Dr. Carson joined the faculty of Yale University as Professor of Biomedical Engineering and of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging. He was Director of the Yale PET Center from 2007-2022 and is also Director of Graduate Studies in Biomedical Engineering at Yale. Dr. Carson’s research interests are 1) Novel PET systems, 2) New algorithms for PET image recon¬struction, 3) Mathematical models for novel radiopharmaceuticals, 4) Receptor-binding ligands to measure drug occupancy and dynamic changes in neurotransmitters, and 5) applications of PET tracers in clinical populations and preclinical models of disease, including neuropsychiatric disorders, diabetes, and cancer. Dr. Carson has published over 400 peer-reviewed paper (for full list, click here)) and given over 200 invited lectures. His awards include the Kuhl-Lassen award from the Brain Imaging Council of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), membership in the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the Edward J. Hoffman Memorial Award from the Computer and Instrumentation Council of the SNMMI, the Distinguished Investigator Award from the Academy of Radiology Research, the Edward J. Hoffman Medical Imaging Scientist Award from the IEEE, the Henry Wagner lectureship of the SNMMI, a fellow of the IEEE, and the 2024 IEEE Marie Skłodowska-Curie Award sponsored by the IEEE Nuclear & Plasma Sciences Society.

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