Carolyn J. Anderson, PhD, has been named the 2020 recipient of the Paul C. Aebersold Award. Dr. Anderson is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Radiology, Bioengineering, Chemistry, and Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The award was announced by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) during its 2020 Annual Meeting.
Carolyn J. Anderson, PhD
Dr. Anderson’s research interests center on the development and evaluation of novel radiometal-based radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic imaging and targeted radiotherapy of cancer and other diseases. The current focus of her research lab is the development of imaging agents for upregulated receptors on immune cells that are involved in inflammation related to lung diseases including tuberculosis, primary tumor growth and cancer metastasis, and sickle cell disease. In addition, her research capitalizes on the effects of targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy on both tumor cells and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.
“What is most exciting and interesting about research in radiopharmaceutical development is multipurposing tracers for diseases that range from cancer to pulmonary ailments to vascular diseases,” Dr. Anderson observed. “I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with a highly diverse group of clinicians and scientists by being part of the nuclear medicine research community.”
Groundbreaking Contributions in Molecular Imaging
Bennett S. Greenspan, MD, FACNM, FACR, FSNMM, Chair of the SNMMI Committee on Awards, stated, “Dr. Anderson has been a trailblazer in the translation of novel PET agents for the imaging and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy of cancer and other diseases in humans. She pioneered the development of radiometal-labeled receptor-targeted PET imaging agents, leading to the first human study of Cu-64–labeled octreotide in patients with neuroendocrine tumors.”
Bennett S. Greenspan, MD, FACNM, FACR, FSNMM
Dr. Anderson recently moved to the University of Missouri as the Simon-Ellebracht Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Professor of Radiology, where she has a leadership role in molecular imaging and theranostics research. Previously, she spent more than 20 years developing PET tracers at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Anderson received her undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Superior, and her doctorate degree in inorganic chemistry from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
Dr. Anderson has received numerous honors throughout her career, including the Michael J. Welch Award from the SNMMI in 2012 and the Distinguished Investigator Award from the Academy of Radiology Research in 2014. In 2019, she was inducted as a Fellow of SNMMI, as well as of the World Molecular Imaging Society. She has mentored many students and researchers throughout her career and has developed multiple training programs in radiochemistry and molecular imaging. Dr. Anderson has coauthored more than 185 publications, mostly in the area of developing radiopharmaceuticals for oncological imaging and therapy.
