Major
Chemistry/Mathematics
Research Abstract
In the United States, prostate cancer is the leading type of cancer diagnosed in men. Prostate cancer is currently diagnosed with the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test; however, it leads to many false positives and therefore unneeded biopsies. Previous studies have shown that cancerous prostates have a much lower concentration of zinc than healthy prostates. The goal of this project is to create an MRI contrast agent capable of non-invasively quantifying zinc in the human prostate. Five out of the eight synthetic steps have been successfully completed so far, and the identities of these intermediate products have been verified by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR Spectroscopy. Future work will include completion of the synthesis of the MRI contrast agent and investigation of its properties in the presence of different concentrations of zinc.
Faculty Mentor/Advisor
Dr. Osasere Evbuomwan
Course
CHEM 397, Dr. Osasere Evbuomwan
Included in
Synthesis of a Zn(II)-Responsive ParaCEST MRI Agent for Improved Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
In the United States, prostate cancer is the leading type of cancer diagnosed in men. Prostate cancer is currently diagnosed with the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test; however, it leads to many false positives and therefore unneeded biopsies. Previous studies have shown that cancerous prostates have a much lower concentration of zinc than healthy prostates. The goal of this project is to create an MRI contrast agent capable of non-invasively quantifying zinc in the human prostate. Five out of the eight synthetic steps have been successfully completed so far, and the identities of these intermediate products have been verified by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR Spectroscopy. Future work will include completion of the synthesis of the MRI contrast agent and investigation of its properties in the presence of different concentrations of zinc.
