Thomas Reiner, PhD

In our lab, chemists, radiochemists, cell biologists, and biologists are working toward one common goal: the design of biologically active small molecules, peptides, and biomolecules and their evaluation in biological assays, both in vitro as well as in vivo. The lab has access to the vast resources of Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and is dedicated to basic and preclinical research.

To this end, the current research interests of the Reiner laboratory lie in the combination of two common imaging modalities: intraoperative and whole-body imaging. We are designing modular linkers and libraries that allow the labeling of biologically active substances with fluorophores and PET imaging agents. We believe that a technology based on these two imaging platforms represents an unmet clinical need, as it would combine the depth penetration of PET imaging and molecular resolution of optical imaging.

We are further interested in developing intervention-sensitive sensors for cancer treatment. Past and current research often focuses on the design of marker-specific vectors with the goal of enabling physicians to determine the location of tissues and areas that are harboring malignant growth. Modern cancer therapy, however, often encases the deposition of physical interventions such as radiation and thermal ablation (use of high or low temperatures). We are working on sensors (magnetic, PET active, and optical) that can sense the location and magnitude of such treatment and provide physicians with exact measures of the effect their treatment had in a given tissue. This technology will result in more exact and reliable patient care.

In 2009, Thomas Reiner obtained his doctorate degree from the Munich Institute of Technology (TUM) in Munich, Germany. The then accepted a position at the Center for Systems Biology of Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in the laboratories of Dr. Ralph Weissleder and worked there as a postdoctoral research fellow and Instructor in Radiology. In 2012, he joined the faculty of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Department of Radiology, focusing on the development of novel imaging probes for both PET imaging and optical imaging technologies.