Georges El Fakhri, Ph.D., DABR

Researchers have validated a new radiolabeled molecule that can be used with imaging tests to accurately detect and characterize brain injury. The team, led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), recently received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a first-in-human study with the strategy.

As described in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, the novel tracer, called [18F]3F4AP, is designed to bind to potassium channels and is radiolabeled so it can be visualized through positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Potassium channels in the brain’s neurons become exposed when the neurons become demyelinated, or lose their protective coating (called myelin), which occurs with a variety of neurodegenerative conditions… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Georges El Fakhri, Ph.D., DABR, Director, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Co-Director, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Alpert Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, to its College of Fellows.

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or education” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

Dr. El Fakhri was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for “outstanding contributions to the field of quantitative SPECT / PET / MR Medical Imaging.“