Abass Alavi's Work

[Mredault]

Abass Alavi's Work

Alavi began his work in the field of tomography under the direction of Dr. David Kuhl. He and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania were pioneers in the use of single gamma-emitting radionuclides (single photon emission computed tomography/SPECT) to perform modern tomography imaging. In 1973, he, along with his colleagues Dr. Kuhl and Dr. Martin Reivich, were the first scientists to develop the idea of ​​labeling deoxyglucose with positron-emitting fluorine (F-18), which led to the development of FDG. In August 1976, Alavi administered FDG to humans for the first time to obtain tomography images of the brain and whole body. He was also one of the first to use iodine-123 to diagnose thyroid cancer, MIBG to evaluate pheochromocytoma, radiolabeled white blood cells to evaluate infections, and 99mTc to detect gastrointestinal bleeding, among many other discoveries.

Alavi has been with the University of Pennsylvania since his nuclear medicine fellowship in 1971–1973. He was promoted to Professor of Radiology in 1982 and served as Chair of the Nuclear Medicine Division from 1979 to 2006. Since then, he has served as Director of Research Education in the Department of Radiology.

Alavi has conducted numerous studies utilizing FDG since its introduction. In addition, shortly after the introduction of CT in the early 70s and MRI in the early 80s, Alavi conducted studies combining PET with these imaging modalities. He is an expert in modern imaging techniques and the clinical applications of PET imaging for the detection of cancer and other diseases, including dementia, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and infections.

Alavi has served as a Fellow and Chair of the Scientific Research Section of the NIH and the American Cancer Society. He has trained and mentored numerous students in modern imaging techniques, and many of his former students and fellows are now in leadership positions in medical imaging worldwide.

1971-1973: Nuclear Medicine Fellow, Philadelphia Hospital, University of Pennsylvania
1973-1974: Instructor, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
1974-1977: Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
1977-1982: Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
1979-2006: Director, Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Hospital
1979-1991: Co-Director, Positron Emission Tomography Center, University of Pennsylvania
1991-2006: Medical Director, Positron Emission Tomography Center, University of Pennsylvania
1982-present: Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
1984-present: Associate Director, Center for Aging Research, University of Pennsylvania
2006-present: Director, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is A medical imaging technique that produces three-dimensional images of molecular processes in the body. The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted when positrons emitted by a radionuclide (tracer) that is used to label biologically active molecules annihilate.

One of the most influential factors in the widespread adoption of positron imaging has been the development of radiopharmaceuticals. In particular, the development of labeled 2-fludeoxyglucose (18F) (2FDG) through collaboration between scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory and researchers at the University of Pennsylvania was a key factor in expanding the scope of PET imaging. This compound was first administered to two normal human volunteers by Alavi at the University of Pennsylvania in August 1976.

In 1999, after decades of research demonstrating the unique and versatile utility of PET and the functional data it provides, the modality was approved for reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and has become a cornerstone in evaluating a number of diseases, including cancer.

It is now well known that without the introduction of FDG into medicine, the field of molecular imaging using PET would have been confined to major research institutions and would not have had the wide-ranging clinical applications it has today. FDG has also resulted in the exploration of numerous biologically important compounds in research and drug development.