Detroit, Mich. – Dr. Fangyu Peng, assistant professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Radiology at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine, has been awarded $369,180 by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Biomaterials to continue his efforts in improving human gene therapy. Dr. Peng, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., along with fellow investigators Dr. Otto Muzik, departments of Pediatrics and Radiology, and Dr. James Janisse, a Biostatistician in the Center for Healthcare Effectiveness Research, has been researching ways to utilize a copper importing protein called human copper transporter 1 (hCTr1) as a reporter gene for non-invasive imaging of gene delivery. Essentially, Dr. Peng’s new technology offers a safer and more efficient way of tracking therapeutic genes.

Dr. Peng’s research involves the simultaneous delivery of the reporter gene encoded to produce hCTr1, along with the genes used for gene therapy, to a specific location in the body, such as a tumor. Through transduction, the cells in the targeted area will create more hCTr1 proteins and allow more copper to enter the cells. Having the hCTr1 protein in the targeted location, Dr. Peng can use copper isotopes to see if, in fact, the hCTrl proteins are working in the right place. Injected radioactive copper isotopes emit positrons, which can be discovered by using positron emitting tomography (PET). Using the PET allows Dr. Peng to see the exact location the hCTr1 went to, thus the location of the gene therapy. In other words, along with radioactive copper isotopes as a probe, Dr. Peng will be able to accurately and safely track delivery and expression of a therapeutic gene in targeted location over a long period of time.

The safety of Dr. Peng’s new technology comes from the nature of the hCTr1 protein: its human origin. Unlike another popular PET reporter gene imaging technique that uses viral-based genes, the hCTrl protein will not invoke anti-body defenses from the immune system of the human. This means fewer obstacles for treatment of human disease.

“There’s no question Dr. Peng’s research will pay off in the field of gene therapy,” said Dr. Gloria Heppner, interim vice president for Research. “His project will allow clinical physicians to locate and evaluate gene therapy treatments quickly and accurately. Dr. Peng’s discovery will save time and, ultimately, save lives.”

In general, PET reporter gene imaging offers several advantages over other techniques, such as biopsy, when analyzing gene expression in gene therapy. One is long term analysis, where several biopsies, over time, may be out of the question, PET reporter gene imaging’s noninvasive nature allows clinical physicians to study gene therapy from afar safely and longitudinally.

Wayne State University is one of the nation’s pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world.