John Wilson

Area of Study / Keywords

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About

I received my doctoral degree in chemist (nucleosides) under the supervision of M.J. Robins in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta.  I was introduced to radiochemistry in the Department of Pharmacy and continued working in this area as a research associate in the D.L.J. Tyrrell’s group in the Faculty of Medicine.  I was hired by the Cross Cancer Institute in 2001 as a radiochemist and as chief cyclotron operator and I am currently the facility manager at the Edmonton PET Centre.

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Research

Since coming into the field of PET, my research interests have been split between the development of [18F] fluorination chemistry and the cyclotron involved in the production of various radionuclides.

Targetry
Testing and modification of high current [18F] water targets with emphasis on the quality of the [18F] produced.  The ionic contaminants in target water studied and a target foil developed and patented which dramatically enhanced the quality and consistency of the [18F] produced while extending the foil life. 
The development of a high current solid target to demonstrate the feasibility of producing 99mTc directly on the cyclotron.   The current isotope shortage caused by the global fission reactor problems has instigated a search for a reliable method to produce large scale amounts of  99mTc, the primary isotope used in nuclear medicine imaging.

Radiosynthesis
[18F] fluorinated nucleosides and sugars for PET imaging of cell proliferation and metabolism