Jason Cai, PhD, Awarded NIH Grant to Develop PET Imaging Agents for CXCR5

Zhengxin (Jason) Cai, PhD, Assistant Professor, Yale University PET Center, has received a R21 NIH/National Cancer Institute grant to develop novel PET imaging agents for CXCR5, a biomarker and potential treatment target for Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). As AITL is a rare and aggressive T-cell lymphoma with poor prognosis, there is an urgent need to develop precision therapies. Recently, the chemokine receptor CXCR5 has been implicated in AITL at both genetic and protein levels, and proves to be a viable treatment target. The aim of this study is to develop a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging assay for accurate diagnosis and screening of AITL patients for clinical trial targeting CXCR5, and to evaluate the pharmacodynamics and therapeutic effects of the experimental drug. Collaborators on this project include Dr. Elias Lolis and Dr. Francine Foss, who are developing novel therapeutics to treat AITL.