ART makes scientific advisory board appointments

Montreal, QC December 10, 2003 Bio-optical imaging technologies developer ART Advanced Research Technologies has made new appointments to its scientific advisory board. The most recent members to join to the ART Scientific Advisory Board are Dr Samuel Achilefu, Dr Amir H Gandjbakhche and Dr Joseph R Lakowicz:

Dr Achilefu is associate professor of radiology, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri. Dr Achilefu utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to discover or develop bioactive molecules for various medical applications. Specifically, his work involves the design, synthesis and performance of in vitro and in vivo evaluation of molecular beacons for use in optical, scintigraphic, ultrasonic and magnetic resonance imaging of cancer. He is also interested in the development of cancer-related multi-modal imaging and therapeutic drugs and systems. Dr Achilefu holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Nancy, France, and completed his postdoctoral training at Oxford University in England from 1991 to 1993. He is the inventor of 17 issued US patents primarily relating to optical molecular probes and has published many papers in scientific journals.

Dr Gandjbakhche received his PhD in Physics from the University Denis Diderot (Paris 7) in 1989. From 1990 to 1995, he was visiting fellow, and, from 1995 to 1996, visiting associate at the physical sciences laboratory of the division of computer research & technology (DCRT), which was part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 1995, Dr Gandjbakhche also received the NIH fellows award for research excellence. In 1997, he became a senior staff fellow of the laboratory of integrative and medical biophysics at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH. Since 1999, Dr Gandjbakhche has held the position of investigator, chief unit on biomedical stochastic physics at the laboratory of integrative and medical biophysics, NICHD. Dr Gandjbakhche has published more than 55 papers on biophysics and optical imaging.

Dr Lakowicz is professor at the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Maryland’s school of medicine and at the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s department of electrical engineering. Since 1988, he has acted as director of the Center for Fluorescence Spectroscopy, which is a National Resource of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the development of fluorescence technology.

Dr Lakowicz has published a single-author book which is widely regarded as the central reference on the principles of fluorescence spectroscopy. He has published over 500 papers and edited over 20 monographs. His work has focused on advancing the field of fluorescence spectroscopy. This involves chemical synthesis of new fluorophores, development of novel fluorescence measurements, development of instrumentation for time-resolved fluorescence, pioneering studies of photon migration imaging, multi photon excitation, and the chemical applications of fluorescence sensing.

His work also includes many inventions and patents. His most recent work is on the use of metallic particles and surfaces to engineer the desired emissive properties of fluorophores. Dr Lakowicz has acted as editor and contributor to fluorescence spectroscopy reference book series. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Fluorescence and the Journal of BioMedical Optics.