Sangeeta Ray is a leading researcher in radiopharmaceutical science whose work has contributed to the development of new approaches for cancer imaging and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy, with the potential to expand treatment options for patients with cancer and other serious diseases.

As an associate professor of radiology in the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Ray brings a multidisciplinary background in chemistry and radiopharmaceutical science, combined with expertise in targeted cancer imaging and therapy.

Ray’s work involves developing new agents for molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT). As a form of theranostics, RPT is part of a personalized medicine approach that combines targeted imaging and therapy to diagnose and treat certain types of cancer. In RPT, a radioactive isotope is placed into a targeting molecule and administered to the patient. Once inside the body, the drug seeks out a molecular target, such as a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA).

“PSMA is a protein that is overexpressed in prostate cancer cells,” Ray explains. “PSMA sits on the outside of certain cancer cells, allowing it to act as a physical marker. We can use this marker as a target for imaging and therapies designed to diagnose and treat the disease.”

PSMA has proven to be a game-changing treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Now, Ray’s team is building on the legacy of PSMA to develop new agents that target tumor cells as well as the environment supporting the tumor. While PSMA is overexpressed by prostate cancer cells, it is also found in certain other cancer cells, including renal cell carcinomas. By applying PSMA principles, Ray and her team are developing new tools for the early detection and treatment of molecularly similar cancers.

But she isn’t stopping there. She and her team are currently working with fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP). FAP is an enzyme protein that is overexpressed on the surface of cells that support a tumor’s growth. While PSMA sits on cancer cells themselves, FAP is found mainly on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF). CAF cells help feed and protect developing tumors in the body. Agents that target CAFs can find and treat a vast array of cancers.

In addition to her work with PSMA and FAP, Ray and her team are looking into B7-H3 as a potential target for imaging and therapeutics in patients who do not express PSMA. “The more biomarkers and agents we can find, the more patients we can treat,” Ray explains, adding, “Currently, only a small fraction of patients are able to benefit from the low toxicity and high effectiveness of RPT/theranostics.”

Ray is also working with gastroenterology colleagues to develop agents to target interluekin23 (IL-23)/IL23 receptor axis. IL-23 is a protein that causes chronic intestinal inflammation in conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ray and her team are developing tracers to track IL-23 in the gut, allowing them to follow a patient’s IBD progression in real time. This critical imaging data could provide physicians with more information when deciding on the most effective course of treatment for their patients with IBD.

By harnessing her multidisciplinary expertise in chemistry, biology, nuclear medicine and molecular design, Sangeeta Ray is leading the field in designing new agents that could transform the diagnosis and treatment of serious diseases.

While her work spans multiple disciplines, Ray brings her expertise in chemistry and radiopharmaceutical design together with collaborations in biology and clinical research to develop new approaches for challenging cancers and other diseases. Through these efforts, she seeks to advance more precise diagnosis and treatment and contribute to better options for patients and their families.