Carolyn J. Anderson, PhD, Receives SNMMI Mars Shot Research Fund Award

Reston, Virginia (March 18, 2026)--The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is pleased to announce that Carolyn J. Anderson, PhD--Steve and Karen Ellebracht Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, professor of radiology, and associate director of the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia--has been selected as the recipient of a $100,000 Drs. Jane & Abass Alavi Mars Shot Research Award from the 2026 Mars Shot Fund. The Alavi Mars Shot Award is focused on advancing imaging research in infection and inflammation, and Anderson s grant was awarded based on her proposal, "Fluorine-18 LLP2A for PET imaging of vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell disease."

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder affecting 7.75 million people worldwide. It is caused by a mutation in the beta-globin chain of hemoglobin and is marked by occurrences of vascular blockage (or occlusion), known as vaso-occlusive crisis. While treatment options have expanded over the past decade, the absence of biomarkers and the inability to visualize molecular events in patients makes managing sickle cell disease challenging.

"This knowledge gap has important consequences,"  said Anderson. "Researchers don't have adequate tools to identify which patients might respond to therapy or to quantitatively monitor treatment efficacy in real time. This can lead to costly and potentially risky therapeutic trials, as well as slow the development and evaluation of future drugs."

With the Mars Shot award, Anderson and colleagues will develop an easy-to-produce and high-yielding PET radiotracer, ¹⁸F-LLP2A, for rapid translation to patients with sickle cell disease. She will first compare two approaches for producing ¹⁸F-LLP2A and determine the biodistribution of each. Next, Anderson will establish and validate routine production and quality control analyses of the leading approach to support first-in-human clinical research.

Carolyn J. Anderson, PhD

"We know from previous research that ⁶⁴Cu-LLP2A is effective in visualizing sickle cell disease in both mice and in humans, however logistical supply challenges have made it hard to translate it to the clinic," said Anderson. "The main objective in this study is to develop an ¹⁸F-based PET radiotracer that can facilitate imaging of hospitalized patients at any time, rather than on a scheduled basis."

Anderson's primary research interest lies in designing, synthesizing and evaluating molecular imaging agents for multimodality imaging of disease, and molecular targeted therapeutics for cancer and other diseases. She received her PhD in inorganic chemistry from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, and conducted her postdoctoral research in radiochemistry at the Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

The SNMMI Mars Shot Research Fund, established in 2023, is a forward-looking glimpse into the future of nuclear medicine. It provides resources that translate visionary nuclear medicine imaging, radiopharmaceutical therapy, and data science research or projects into tools or treatments that will help improve the lives of patients.

###

About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit snmmi.org.