Synthesis and preclinical evaluation of novel PET imaging probes for neurodegenerative diseases

Short biography: https://www.camh.ca/en/science-and-research/science-and-research-staff-directory/chaozheng Chao Zheng is an independent scientist at the Brain Health Imaging Centre and the Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Prior joining CAMH/University of Toronto, Dr. Zheng held a research junior faculty position as an associate research scientist at the Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, from 2021 to 2023. Dr. Zheng was trained in organic and medicinal chemistry, radiochemistry, PET neuroimaging, and molecular imaging in neuroscience. Prior to 2021, he gained valuable experience through two postdoctoral training positions: one at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in molecular imaging and the other at Yale University in the field of PET neuroimaging. He obtained his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), and his PhD degree in organic chemistry from Peking University. Dr. Zheng’s research has been funded by prominent institutions, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Alzheimer's Association, Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC), and the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI). Recently, Dr. Zheng has been awarded an Academic Scholar Grant from the University of Toronto's Department of Psychiatry.