Role at ANSTO
Ivan directs radiochemistry research, and also manages the radiochemistry platform in ANSTO LifeSciences. Ivan's main research activities have been in the development of PET and SPECT radiotracers for medical and environmental applications and general radiochemistry tools and techniques that assist and improve radiolabelling of small molecules, peptides, proteins to particles.
More recently Ivan's research interests have incorporated the application of microfluidics in radiochemistry processes and the general development of new isotope separation methodologies to expand the set of available isotopes to the scientific community. Ivan is also very active in industry engagement, both within product development and in production troubleshooting.
Background
Before accepting a position with ANSTO's Radiopharmaceutical Research Institute as a post doctoral research fellow in 2000, Ivan worked at Orica and Schering Plough Animal Health.
During Ivan’s time as a post-doc fellow, he worked on thallium-201 targetry and separation, then moved to synthesis and radiolabelling of molecules for imaging cancer and the brain. In 2004 he was appointed as a radiopharmaceutical chemist in the Radiopharmaceutical Research Institute and continued with the development of diagnosis and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals and was involved with the 176Lu, 177Lu, and 64Cu programs.
In 2006 Ivan was appointed as the chemistry group leader and managed radiochemistry activities in the CRCBID. In 2010 Ivan was appointed the Head of Radiochemistry in the newly formed ANSTO Lifesciences division.
Research interests and areas of expertise
Ivan’s current research interests include the development of ligands for the complexation of radiometals (89Zr, 68Ga, 64Cu, 177Lu, 99mTc) and the development of reagents, processes and radio-synthons for smarter and faster 18F chemistry, using micro and macrofluidic platforms.His expertise lies in inorganic and organic chemistry, radiolabelling, labelling of proteins/peptides antibodies, amino acids and small molecules, isotope separation, HPLC, PET, SPECT, radioHPLC using 18F, 177Lu, 123I, 125I, 124I, 99mTc, 64Cu radionuclides.
Ivan’s key international research links are with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre with Prof Jason Lewis and A/Prof Kishore Pillarsetty and with the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard with A/Prof Neil Vasdev.
Qualifications & Achievements
- Conjoint A/Prof UNSW (2012 - current)
- Head of Radiochemistry (2010 - current)
- Chemistry Group leader (2006 - 2010)
- Project Manager, CRC imaging (2006 - current)
- PhD in Synthetic Chemistry, UWS Macarthur (2000)