Hank F. Kung, PhD

PET Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases:

Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease

May 28, 2008 12:30 pm

Radiology Conference Room N2E14C

Hank F. Kung, PhD, is a professor of radiology and pharmacology and chief of the Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). He received his doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the School of Pharmacy, State University of New York at Buffalo. His postdoctoral training and first academic position were at the Roswell Park Memorial Institute (Buffalo), and he joined the faculty at Penn in 1987.

Dr. Kung is internationally recognized for his work in developing agents for dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitter system imaging, assessment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and neuronal functional imaging of the heart. He received the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s Aebersold Award in 2004. He and his active laboratory team have authored numerous publications, among the most recent of which are:

1. Stephenson KA, Reid LC, Zubieta J, Babich JW, Kung MP, Kung HF, Valliant JF. Synthesis and screening of a library of Re/Tc-based amyloid probes derived from beta-breaker peptides. Bioconjug Chem. 2008 Apr 12. [Epub ahead of print]
2. Song PJ, Bernard S, Sarradin P, Vergote J, Barc C, Chalon S, Kung MP, Kung HF, Guilloteau D. IMPY, a potential beta-amyloid imaging probe for detection of prion deposits in scrapie-infected mice. Nucl Med Biol. 2008;35:197–201. 
3. Plössl K, Chandra R, Qu W, Lieberman BP, Kung MP, Zhou R, Huang B, Kung HF. A novel gallium bisaminothiolate complex as a myocardial perfusion imaging agent. Nucl Med Biol. 2008;35:83–90. 
4. Lakshmi B, Kung MP, Lieberman B, Zhao J, Waterhouse R, Kung HF. (R)-N-Methyl-3-(3-(125)I-pyridin-2-yloxy)-3-phenylpropan-1-amine: a novel probe for norepinephrine transporters. Nucl Med Biol. 2008;35:43–52. 
5. Parhi AK, Wang JL, Oya S, Choi SR, Kung MP, Kung HF. 2-(2'-((dimethylamino)methyl)-4'-(fluoroalkoxy)-phenylthio)benzenamine derivatives as serotonin transporter imaging agents. J Med Chem. 2007;50:6673–6684.
6. Maezawa I, Hong HS, Liu R, Wu CY, Cheng RH, Kung MP, Kung HF, Lam KS, Oddo S, Laferla FM, Jin LW. Congo red and thioflavin-T analogs detect Aβ oligomers. J Neurochem. 2008;104:457–468. 
7. Kung HF, Kung MP, Wey SP, Lin KJ, Yen TC. Clinical acceptance of a molecular imaging agent: a long march with [99mTc]TRODAT. Nucl Med Biol. 2007;34:787–789. 
8. Qu W, Kung MP, Hou C, Oya S, Kung HF. Quick assembly of 1,4-diphenyltriazoles as probes targeting beta-amyloid aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. J Med Chem. 2007;50:3380–3387. 
9. Qu W, Kung MP, Hou C, Jin LW, Kung HF. Radioiodinated aza-diphenylacetylenes as potential SPECT imaging agents for beta-amyloid plaque detection. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2007;17:3581–3584. 
10. Chandra R, Oya S, Kung MP, Hou C, Jin LW, Kung HF. New diphenylacetylenes as probes for positron emission tomographic imaging of amyloid plaques. J Med Chem. 2007;50:2415–2423. 
11. Qu W, Kung MP, Hou C, Benedum TE, Kung HF. Novel styrylpyridines as probes for SPECT imaging of amyloid plaques. J Med Chem. 2007;50:2157–2165. 
12. Kilbourn MR, Hockley B, Lee L, Hou C, Goswami R, Ponde DE, Kung MP, Kung HF. Pharmacokinetics of [(18)F]fluoroalkyl derivatives of dihydrotetrabenazine in rat and monkey brain. Nucl Med Biol. 2007;34:233–237.
13. Oya S, Choi SR, Kung MP, Kung HF. 5-Chloro-2-(2'-((dimethylamino)methyl)-4'-iodophenylthio)benzenamine: a new serotonin transporter ligand. Nucl Med Biol. 2007;34:129–139.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About Diagnostic Radiology Grand Rounds and CME Credit

Targeted audience: health care providers

Learning objectives: The participant will gain familiarity with:

(1) New imaging agents for PET;

(2) Amyloid β plaques in Alzheimer's disease; and

(3) Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Sponsored by the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Accreditation & Credit Designation Statements: The University of Maryland School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.