Henry Yiyun Huang, PhD

Associate Professor of Diagnostic Radiology

Specialty: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging, PET Radiochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry

henry.huang@yale.edu Phone: 203-785-3193 Fax: 203-785-3107 Yale University School of Medicine P.O. Box 208042, PET Center 137A New Haven, CT 06520-8042

Research Interests: The development of new and improved PET radioligands is a major focus of my research.  PET ligand development is a process that involves the interplays of chemistry, biology, pharmacology and pharmacokinetics and requires a good understanding of all these scientific disciplines.  Over the years I have been involved in the development of new or improved PET radioligands for the dopamine, serotonin, glutamate and acetylcholine receptors and transporters in the brain.  Development of PET radioligands includes the following stages: 1. design and synthesis of candidate ligands; 2. in vitro pharmacological experiments to determine binding affinities and selectivity.  3. design and execution of biological and pharmacological experiments in live animals including rodents and non-human primates to evaluate the ligands’ in vivo pharmacology and pharmacokinetics such as distribution, binding selectivity and specificity, metabolism, clearance, and blood and brain kinetics; 4. determination of dosimetry and toxicology; 5. clinical trials to determine the ligands’ suitability for applications in humans to image targeted receptors, proteins, or enzymes.

PET imaging technique can be used to determine the concentrations of CNS receptors and transporters in discrete brain regions under normal conditions.  It can also be used to probe the changes in the densities of certain receptors and transporters in diseases.  Coupled with pharmacological manipulation or stimulation, PET imaging is capable of probing the abnormality in the neurotransmission system functions under diseased conditions. Further applications include determination of the receptor occupancy by marketed or experimental drugs and monitoring the outcome of drug treatment for diseases.  In all these applications the key is the availability of an appropriate PET radioligand for a specific receptor, transporter, or enzyme.  Therefore, development of PET radioligands is a critical component of PET imaging and will continue to be the major part of my research.  Current interests are development of ligands for targets in the CNS encompassing many of the neurotransmission systems. 

Education:  Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of Akron, Ohio, 1993         
                   M.S. in Medicinal Chemistry, Shanghai Pharmaceutical Research Institute,
                   China, 1985
                   Post Doc – PET Center, Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh
                   School of Medicine

Awards: NARSAD Young Investigator Award, 1999