• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Saturday, July 19, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Study reveals new method of preparing imaging agents

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
November 22, 2022
in Health
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Dr. Benjamin Rotstein and collaborators unveil an operationally simple method to prepare carbon isotope-labeled versions of drugs and diagnostics.

Study reveals new method of preparing imaging agents

Credit: Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa

Dr. Benjamin Rotstein and collaborators unveil an operationally simple method to prepare carbon isotope-labeled versions of drugs and diagnostics.

The development of new pharmaceuticals relies on the ability of scientists to design elegantly specific drugs for targeted clinical trials. And the isotopic labeling of drug candidates in research labs is crucial in this overall effort.

In a new study, Dr. Benjamin Rotstein’s lab at the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine has collaborated with colleagues to unveil an operationally simple method to prepare carbon isotope-labeled versions of drugs and diagnostics. They developed a method to exchange a single atom in amino acids – building blocks of proteins that are also used to prepare molecules – for its isotope.

“This is really important in drug development because we want to know where the drug goes in the body, how is it metabolized and eliminated so we can plan appropriate dosing and toxicity studies,” says Dr. Rotstein, an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology.

The work was described in a paper in Nature Chemistry, a high-impact journal that also published a separate article on the study in which two Danish scientists at Aarhus University described the team’s methods as “important to the field.”

Dr. Rotstein’s lab initially designed their experiments to work like a catalyst that our bodies use: pyridoxal phosphate, which removes the carboxylic acid from amino acids and is the active form of vitamin B-6. But he says they wanted to make it run in reverse, and it turned out the mechanism was a little different than they initially expected.

“We’re actually adding carbon dioxide, then removing the acid. So it’s a different mechanism that allows us to consider even better catalysts and expanding the scope further beyond amino acids,” he says.

The research was done in collaboration with University of Alberta colleagues and chemists at Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical company. Dr. Rotstein’s lab did the carbon-11 studies and worked with these collaborators to unveil the mechanism of the reaction. His lab uses carbon-11 because it’s radioactive in a way that works well for medical imaging.

What are the next steps for his uOttawa lab? Dr. Rotstein and his team are now studying how to make the reaction produce only one “mirror-image” version of amino acids so that researchers won’t need to separate them after the fact.

He says they are especially excited about using carbon-11 amino acids to measure the rate that our bodies are producing proteins because this can be an indicator of disease.

“We’re also using these in imaging studies now to learn about metabolism and protein synthesis rates in different tissues,” says Dr. Rotstein, who is also director of the Molecular Imaging Probes and Radiochemistry Laboratory at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.



Method of Research

Meta-analysis

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Aldehyde-catalysed carboxylate exchange in α-amino acids with isotopically labelled CO2

Article Publication Date

7-Nov-2022

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

AI Diagnoses Structural Heart Disease via ECG

July 17, 2025
blank

Functional Regimes Shape Soil Microbiome Response

July 17, 2025

Stealth Adaptations in Large Ichthyosaur Flippers

July 17, 2025

Engineering Autoactive NLRs for Broad Immunity

July 17, 2025

POPULAR NEWS

  • Enhancing Broiler Growth: Mannanase Boosts Performance with Reduced Soy and Energy

    Enhancing Broiler Growth: Mannanase Boosts Performance with Reduced Soy and Energy

    73 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • New Organic Photoredox Catalysis System Boosts Efficiency, Drawing Inspiration from Photosynthesis

    54 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • IIT Researchers Unveil Flying Humanoid Robot: A Breakthrough in Robotics

    53 shares
    Share 21 Tweet 13
  • Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    49 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 12

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

AI Diagnoses Structural Heart Disease via ECG

Archaeal Ribosome Shows Unique Active Site, Hibernation Factor

Shape-Shifting Biphasic Liquids with Bistable Microdomains

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.