Ivan E. Wang Email & Phone Number

I received a PharmD degree from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2021, concomitantly receiving a M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences working with Prof. Christopher Cioffi on synthesizing partial inhibitors of RPE65 in treating dry age-related macular degeneration. In 2021, I joined the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy where I am conducting research under the mentorship of Dr. Peter J. H. Scott focusing on optimizing PET tracer manufacturing in diagnostic imaging. While working towards my PhD in medicinal chemistry, I also obtained didactic training from Purdue University and practical nuclear pharmacy experience at the Michigan Medicine University Hospital. In 2024, I became Board Certified in Nuclear Pharmacy (BCNP).My research goal is to bring the pharmacist’s perspective into the development of radiopharmaceuticals for subsequent diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Currently I am improving generator-based production workflow of gallium-68 diagnostic agents and optimizing the purification of gallium-68 using a medical grade cyclotron. My recent publication in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Biology demonstrates use of generator equivalent cyclotron produced [68Ga]GaCl3 to label NetSpot and Illuccix, used for the clinical imaging of NETs and prostate cancer, and is expanding this labeling protocol for developing research tracers in diagnostic oncology. I am also developing automated programs to translate fluorine-18 and carbon-11 labeling to a cassette-based method to future-proof PET manufacturing while adhering to future anticipated regulatory requirements. With my background in pharmacy and in collaboration with Dr. Yuni Dewaraja, Dr. Ka Kit Wong, and Dr. Azadeh Akhavanallaf, I have performed a retrospective review of 173 patients who received Lu-177 Dotatate (Lutathera) at the University of Michigan, to determine if dose reduction and/or dose delay would improve therapy completion. I have presented at the international Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (iSRS) conference in 2022, Annual Spring Meeting of the Central Chapter of Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (CCSNMMI), awarding the W.H. Beierwaltes Award in 2024, and the 2024 SNMMI annual meeting receiving the Young Investigator award from the Chinese American Society of SNMMI (CASNMMI). With completion of the PhD program at Michigan, I hope to work in industry to practice as both a BCNP and as a researcher to help develop new cassette-based synthesis methods to future-proof nuclear medicine production.