Yah-el Har-el, Ph.D.

Dr. Yah-el Har-el is a post-doctoral fellow in the Radionuclide Therapy and Dosimetry Research Lab, Division of Nuclear Medicine in the Russell H. Morgan Dept of Radiology and Radiological Science at The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine. She received her Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering and her Ph.D. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering.

Dr. Har-el has worked in the field of controlled drug delivery for over eight years, with an emphasis on drug delivery from polymer microspheres and gene therapy. The title of her PhD. is “High DNA Density Non-viral Gene Vectors”.

View CV

RESEARCH

Dr. Har-el’s research uses immunoliposomes as carriers of actinium-225 for treatment of ovarian carcinoma. Actinium-225 has a 10-day half-life and a decay scheme that leads to three alpha-particle emitting daughters. Pre-clinical studies are being performed using nude mice expressing an ovarian carcinoma model. IP injection of tumor cells in the ovarian carcinoma model leads to widespread metastases in the intraperitoneal cavity. Liposomally entrapped actinium-225 targeting is being investigated using this model.  The development of metastatic disease in this model and also antibody and immunoliposomal targeting has been characterized by small animal imaging, including MRI, µPET, µSPECT/µCT and optical fluorescent imaging.

These pre-clinical studies are being performed in conjunction with pharmacokinteic and microdosimetric model development, validation and analysis.  In addition to the animal models, cell and spheroid dose-response studies are being used to provide data for model development and validation. The objectives of this work are to provide the necessary pre-clinical data and analysis to translate alpha-emitter targeting of rapidly accessible metastatic disease to the clinic.

LIPOSOME STUDY GROUP

Liposome Study Group is meant to be a tool for liposome researchers at JHU. The goal is to identify people who can help in a variety of ways. For example, if you would like to learn how to make liposomes by extrusion, you have a list of people to ask for tips. Likewise, if you would like some advice on how to attach molecules to liposomes' surface, or to increase entrapment efficiency of a specific drug.

The group meets once a month with a specific discussion topic (not a journal club). These topics include discussion of liposome size measurement techniques and applications (DLS, SLS, TEM, etc), targeting moeity chemistry/surface modifications, MR imaging properties of liposomes, and narrowing the size distribution to name a few. In addition to monthly meetings, you could email the group specific questions at other times.

Meetings are the first Tuesday of each month, at 2pm in CRB 2, Room 111. If you have further questions, contact Yah-el Har-el, yahel@jhu.edu.