Onofre T. DeJesus

Research Interests

The primary focus of my laboratory is the development of radiopharmaceuticals as positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents. These PET agents allow the quantitative assessment of biomolecular entities in vivo, aimed at diagnosis of disease, tailoring appropriate treatment (personalized medicine) and monitoring the progress of therapy based on individual patient response. In addition, these imaging agents can be used to elucidate basic biologic questions to better understand health and disease. Current imaging agent research and development are targeted at applications in psychiatry (schizophrenia, substance abuse, depression, etc.), neurology (Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s disease) and oncology (epithelial cancers).

Current on-going R&D projects in my laboratory involve:

1. PET imaging agents labeled with positron-emitting Cl-34m for dopamine D1 receptors. Dopamine receptors are involved in Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, substance abuse and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
2. A small peptide molecule as multimodality imaging agent for epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) which are over-expressed in various types of cancer.
3. Positron-labeled small molecules to image tau protein which is thought to be involved in neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.
4. PET/CT imaging of pregnant rhesus macaques to assess maternal-fetal transfers of chemicals.