Radiopharmaceutical chemistry

Head of Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry

Prof. Ross studied chemistry at the University of Cologne and graduated in 2002 with his thesis "Synthesis of neuronal receptor ligands using low-carrier 4-[F-18]fluorophenol" under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Dr. H. H. Coenen (Institute for Nuclear Chemistry, Research Center Jülich). After his PhD (2006) with the topic "Synthesis of no-carrier-added [F-18]fluoroarenes via the reaction of n.c.a. [F-18]fluoride and iodonium salts" under Prof. H. H. Coenen, he worked for four years as a research assistant at the Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences at ETH Zurich under Prof. Dr. P. August Schubiger. There he led the research team for PET radiochemistry and specialized in the development of radioactive folic acid derivatives for molecular imaging of folate receptors. In 2010, he was appointed junior professor of radiopharmaceutical chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry under Prof. Dr. Frank Rösch. He has been Professor of Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry at the MHH since December 2013 and heads the Department of the same name in the Clinical Department of Nuclear Medicine.

List of publications

Curriculum vitae Prof. Ross

Contact:
Clinical Department of Nuclear Medicine
Hannover Medical School
Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1
D-30625 Hannover
Phone +49 (0)511 532 5895
Fax +49 (0)511 532 18547
ross.tobias@mh-hannover.de

Radioactive diagnostics and therapeutics are medicinal products just like "normal", non-radioactive medicinal products and are therefore in principle subject to the same legal provisions and requirements regarding quality, efficacy and safety. These requirements are accompanied by certain binding rules on how and under what circumstances medicinal products may be manufactured.

In the field of nuclear medicine, it is particularly important that these rules are observed and, above all, implemented in a technically correct manner, as radioactive medicinal products cannot be stored and dispensed "off the shelf" at short notice when required, primarily due to their short shelf life, as is usually the case in a pharmacy, for example. Various aspects of radiation protection also play an important role.

In practical terms, this means that radioactive drugs must first be prepared and dosed individually for each patient before each examination or therapy. This is the main task and core competence of radiopharmaceutical chemistry. In order to meet the legal requirements for the production of medicinal products, we are establishing the highest possible, internationally recognized quality standard, the so-called GMP ("Good Manufacturing Practice"), which also applies to the pharmaceutical industry, in the course of the conversion and new construction of laboratories and clean room production areas.

For the PET radiopharmaceuticals [18F]FDG and [18F]NaF we have the manufacturing authorization according to §13 AMG. In those areas that cannot yet be operated in full compliance with GMP, we manufacture the required radiopharmaceuticals with the greatest possible care and expertise under the direct responsibility of the physician in accordance with §13(2b) AMG.

SPECT: Single photon emission computed tomography

This complicated term, which is usually abbreviated to SPECT (single-photonemission computed tomography), refers to the most important and most commonly used imaging procedure in nuclear medicine. It can be used to examine many different clinical pictures and symptoms. As a rule, a drug is administered to which the radioactive metal technetium has been coupled. The distribution of the drug in the body can then be measured externally by taking images of the patient with special cameras that record the gamma radiation emitted by the technetium. This allows conclusions to be drawn about the patient's condition with regard to the clinical question. In addition to technetium, radioactive isotopes of other elements such as indium, chromium or iodine are also used in rarer cases.

Radioactive drugs for SPECT are usually commercially available precursors manufactured by the industry, which are professionally labeled with radioactivity by qualified personnel in the hot laboratory of Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, dosed individually for each patient and delivered to the medical staff as a ready-to-use preparation.

You can find the exact range of SPECT examinations offered by our Clinical Department here.

PET: Positron emission tomography

The basic principle of positron emission tomographyis similar to SPECT: the patient is administered a radioactive drug whose fate in the body can be followed from the outside by imaging with a corresponding camera - however, imaging using PET is more sensitive and high-resolution and therefore particularly suitable for certain examinations and questions. This is due to the fact that special radioactive nuclides, so-called ß+ emitters (or "positron emitters", hence the name of the method), are used.

A cyclotron is required to obtain most of the positron emitters used in PET, as many of them are very short-lived and must be processed into a radioactive drug immediately after production. This means that (almost) every radioactive drug has to be produced and dosed directly on site for each individual patient before a PET examination. The team at the PET Laboratory of Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry is responsible for this and offers the following nuclides and radioactive drugs for routine care:

Fluorine-18:
[18F]Fludeoxyglucose (FDG), a universal marker for inflammation and tumors / metastases
[18F]Fluoroethyltyrosine (FET), a special marker for brain tumors
[18F]FluoroDOPA (F-DOPA), a marker for dopamine metabolism in the brain, e.g. in Parkinson's disease.e.g. in Parkinson's disease
[18F]Sodium fluoride (NaF), a marker for bone metabolism

Gallium-68:
[68Ga]GaDOTA-TATE, a marker for neuroendocrine tumors
[68Ga]GaPSMA-11, a special marker for prostate carcinomas
[68Ga]GaDOTA-Pentixafor, a special inflammation and tumor marker

You can find the exact range of PET examinations offered by our Clinical Department here.

Radionuclide therapy

The term radionuclide therapy refers to the destruction of diseased tissue by means of radioactivity, and - in contrast to radiotherapy - from the inside by administering a radioactive drug that "attaches" to the diseased tissue and emits radiation of a suitable type and energy. Using various radiopharmaceuticals adapted to the respective clinical picture, only the diseased tissue can be effectively treated in a very targeted manner, while healthy tissue is spared as far as possible.

Our Clinical Department's range of services includes the so-called radioiodine therapy with [131I]sodium iodide (NaI) in capsule form for the treatment of various hyperfunctional thyroid diseases. This is usually carried out on an inpatient basis on thetherapy ward 75. Following extensive refurbishment and modernization measures in the Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry department, we have also been offering the so-called PRRT ("peptide receptor radionuclide therapy") for the targeted treatment of neuroendocrine tumors and metastatic prostate cancer (PSMA therapy) with the beta emitter lutetium-177.

Since 2013, the Clinical Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and the Clinical Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the MHH have also been able to offer so-called SIRT ("Selective Internal Radiotherapy") with the high-energy beta emitter Yttrium-90 for the treatment of malignant liver tumors.

In addition to inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment of bone metastases in prostate cancer with the alpha emitter radium-223 (approved drug Xofigo®) is possible. Although the alpha radiation is highly energetic, its range is very limited and it cannot leave the patient's body to the outside, so there is no need for an inpatient stay after the radioactivity has been injected.

Further information on the radionuclide therapy services offered by our Clinical Department, such as contact details for making appointments, required documents, etc., can be found here.

Deputy Director

Dr. Almut Walte
E-mail: walte.almut@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 4011
Qualified person
Head of Quality Control and Quality Assurance

Office

Nicole Ernst
E-Mail: Ernst.Nicole@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 5894
Documentalist
Secretary

Technical staff

Melis Genc
E-Mail: Genc.Melis@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 9821 (office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 7318 (laboratory)
Production of radiopharmaceuticals

Thomas Harms
E-mail: harms.thomas.hans@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 5739 (Office)
Production of radiopharmaceuticals
Deputy Head of Production
Cyclotron operator
Development and programming of equipment

Lukasz Klinger
E-Mail: Klinger.Lukasz@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 9821 (office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 7318 (laboratory)
Production of radiopharmaceuticals

Zekiye Korkmaz
E-Mail: Korkmaz.Zekiye@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)176 15322675
Research

Ulrike Kretschmer
E-mail: kretschmer.ulrike@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 3883 (office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 7318 (laboratory)
Production of radiopharmaceuticals
Deputy Head of Production

Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Kühn
E-mail: kuehn.juergen@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 172587 (office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 2685 (laboratory)
Fax: +49 (0)511 532 2315
Production of radiopharmaceuticals

Murad Mardanli
E-Mail: Mardanli.Murad@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 2681 (office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 7317 (laboratory)
Quality control

Irene Messerschmidt
E-mail: Messerschmidt.irene@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 2681 (office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 7317 (laboratory)
Quality Control
Deputy Head of Quality Control

Anna Piechnick
E-Mail: Piechnick.Anna@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 9821 (office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 7318 (laboratory)
Production of radiopharmaceuticals

Sabine Reeck
E-mail: reeck.sabine@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)176 15322681 (Office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 7317 (Laboratory)
Quality control

Antje Schimke
E-mail: schimke.antje@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 3088 (Office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 5378 (Laboratory)
Quality Control
Deputy Head of Quality Control

Rosalie Schweers
E-mail: schweers.rosalie@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 172587 (Office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 2685 (Laboratory)
Production of radiopharmaceuticals

Peter Sklenicka
E-mail: sklenicka.peter@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 8088 (Office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 4031 (Laboratory)
Cyclotron operator
Production of radiopharmaceuticals

Scientific staff

Silav Al-Bazaz
E-Mail: Al-Bazaz.Silav@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 8088
PhD student

Larissa Resch
E-Mail: Resch.Larissa@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 4011
Deputy Head of Quality Control and Quality Assurance

Dr. Sophie Wegener
E-mail: Wegener.Sophie@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 4011 (office)
Qualified person
Deputy Head of Quality Control and Quality Assurance
PostDoc
Topic: Imaging of bacterial infections using PET

Dr. Michael Willmann
E-mail : Willmann.Michael@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 9720 (Office)
PostDoc
Topic: Production and evaluation of specific PET ligands using modern radiofluorination methods

Former

Prof. Dr. Dr. Geerd-Jürgen Meyer
Former Head of Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry

Interns and volunteers

Antonia Hauptmann
E-mail: Hauptmann.Antonia@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 8088
Voluntary social year

Hadil Saleh
E-Mail: Saleh.Hadil@mh-hannover.de
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 3088 (office)
Phone: +49 (0)511 532 5378 (laboratory)
Pharmacist internship

For more information about our research topics click here.