The University of Missouri is part of a comprehensive research effort creating new inventions for seeing and treating cancer. A portion of that effort is housed in the lower level of the MITC building, which holds a facility for performing molecular imaging and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy studies in rodent disease models.
Why Small Animal Imaging
The Small Animal Imaging facility has the equipment to conduct small animal PET, SPECT, CT, and MRI scans. These scans are often the next steps after studying radiotracers in vivo, which takes place in our Radiopharmacology facilities. They are an essential step in developing ways to detect and treat human cancers.
Our Work
MITC facilities have the space and resources available to do PET, CT, and MRI scans. Alongside investigators, we can perform targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy studies in rodent models. MITC also contains specialized rooms to house radioactive animals. Additionally, we have staff who can perform studies or train staff in other labs to perform parts of current studies.
About Our Director
Carolyn J. Anderson, Ph.D., is the Simon-Ellebracht Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, and Professor of Radiology at the University of Missouri. She is also the Associate Director of Basic and Translational Sciences at the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. Her research interests include the development and evaluation of novel radiometal-based radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic imaging and targeted radiotherapy of cancer and other diseases. She has co-authored over 190 publications, mostly in the area of developing radiopharmaceuticals for oncological imaging and therapy. A current focus of her research lab is the development of imaging agents for up-regulated receptors on immune cells that are involved in inflammation related to lung diseases, including primary tumor growth and cancer metastasis, and sickle cell disease. Dr. Anderson has received numerous honors, including the Michael J. Welch Award from the SNMMI in 2012 and a Distinguished Investigator Award from the Academy of Radiology Research in 2014. She was inducted as a Fellow in the SNMMI and the World Molecular Imaging Society in 2019. In 2020 Dr. Anderson received the SNMMI Paul C. Aebersold Award for outstanding nuclear medicine research, and she is the recipient of the American Chemical Society 2022 Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry.