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INFORMATION FOR

    Nabeel Nabulsi, PhD

    Senior Research Scientist in Radiology and Biomedical Imaging
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    Additional Titles

    Associate Director of PET Center, Yale PET Center

    Deputy Director of PET Center Chemistry Section

    Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Control, Yale PET Center

    About

    Titles

    Senior Research Scientist in Radiology and Biomedical Imaging

    Associate Director of PET Center, Yale PET Center; Deputy Director of PET Center Chemistry Section; Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Control, Yale PET Center

    Biography

    Nabeel Nabulsi obtained his BA degree from UTA in 1980 in Chemistry (pre-Medicine), MS degree from TTU in Organic Chemistry in 1984, and PhD from LSU in Organic/Bioorganic Chemistry in 1991. Afterwards, Dr Nabulsi spent several years back in his ancestry homeland Jordan, during which time worked as director of Organic Chemistry labs in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Jordan for Women, and subsequently as senior scientist at Hikma pharmaceuticals raw chemicals division, all the while engaging in comparative theological research and free-lance writing.

    After returning to the States, Dr Nabulsi spent 2 years as a research fellow chemist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Infectious Diseases Infection Control and Employee Health, where he worked in Dr I Raad's lab on developing methods for coating/impregnating indwelling medical devices with antiseptics to prevent nosocomial infections. Subsequently, Dr Nabulsi was awarded a 3-year training fellowship in PET radiochemistry in Dr M Kilbourn's Lab at the University of Michigan. Dr Nabulsi was recruited by Dr Y-S Ding to join the Yale PET Center in 2006.

    Appointments

    Other Departments & Organizations

    Education & Training

    Fellowship
    University of Michigan Medical School (2006)
    Fellowship
    University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (2001)
    PhD
    Louisiana State University, Chemsitry/Organic/Bioorganic (1991)
    MS
    Texas Tech University, Chemistry/Organic (1984)
    BA
    University of Texas at Arlington, Chemistry/Pre-Medicine (1980)

    Research

    Overview

    As a radiochemist, I find rewarding the development of facile
    synthetic methodologies for the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals
    which incorporate the short half-life C-11 and F-18 radionuclides that
    are frequently employed for PET imaging. In particular, synthesis of
    C-11 radiopharmaceuticals is very challenging in that it generally has
    to be accomplished inside 60 minutes in order to possess adequate
    radioactivity for PET imaging.
    Improving overall binding properties of existing radioligands and the
    development of new ligands comprise my imaging interest in the areas of
    CNS and oncology. For CNS, I am interested in developing
    radiopharmaceuticals that can be employed for early diagnosis of
    Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases and which can lead to development of
    better treatments. Another interesting area, FAAH (fatty acid amide
    hydrolase) has emerged as a novel therapeutic target for a range of
    clinical disorders. It is a membrane-bound intracellular serine
    hydrolase that is responsible for AEA (Anandamide, an endogenous
    cannabinoid) metabolism. Indeed, FAAH has been targeted as biomarker of
    AEA which is known to modulate several physiological processes in both
    peripheral and nervous system. FAAH inactivation produces proactive
    subset of behavioral effects similar to that observed for direct CB1
    agonists, but without inducing analogous side-effects. To date, all
    evidence suggests that compounds which increase the tone of AEA, whether
    blocking its transport or inhibiting its metabolism, are
    therapeutically valuable for treatment. Accordingly imaging FAAH should
    accelerate validation of FAAH inhibitors as therapeutic targets.
    Small-molecule radiotracers not only would provide valuable research
    tools for further understanding of this and other therapeutic targets,
    but also allows fast validation of efficacy and selectivity of potential
    drug inhibitors as well. The potential disorders which can benefit from
    targeted enhancement of AEA include analgesic, anti tumor and neuroprotection.
    Regarding oncology, there is a dire need for radiotracers which are
    capable of early detection of pancreatic cancer. It is the second most
    common gastrointestinal malignancy in the USA. Meanwhile, peptide
    transporters are important drug delivery targets and growing number of
    studies have been reported on regulation of their transport capacity.
    Tumor cells have been shown to up-regulate the expression of the peptide
    transporter type PepT1, and high levels of this transporter have been
    found in variety of cancer cells, including pancreatic. Thus, increased
    expression of PepT1 in the cellular membrane of cancer cells has been
    investigated as a possible target for delivery of peptidomimetic
    anti-cancer drugs as well as prodrugs. Bestatin, a leukotriene A4
    hydrolase inhibitor, is among the peptidomimetic PepT1 substrates which
    have been shown to have anticancer activity towards non-lymphocytic
    leukemia as well as pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In this regard, I am
    interested in developing radiotracers that are substrates of the peptide
    transporter PepT1 for imaging pancreatic cancer. Alternatively,
    inhibition of PepT1 activity has also been suggested as a novel
    chemotherapy approach. With this in mind, radiotracers that are
    substrates for PepT1 should also facilitate the development of PepT1
    inhibitors.

    Research at a Glance

    Yale Co-Authors

    Frequent collaborators of Nabeel Nabulsi's published research.

    Publications

    2024

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    Clinical Trials

    Current Trials

    See All Current Clinical Trials

    Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

    • activity

      Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

      Professional OrganizationsMember
    • activity

      Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences

      Professional OrganizationsMember
    • activity

      Laboratory Safety Committee

      Advisory BoardsMember
    • activity

      Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Compliance with Regulatory Requirements Regarding Production of Radiopharmaceuticals for Clinical Applications

      Oral PresentationDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University
    • activity

      Production of Clinically Useful Quantities of the mGluR5 Radiopharmaceutical [18F]FPEB

      DemonstrationSemel Institute PET Center, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center
    See All Achievements

    Get In Touch

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