Healio: Q&A: New imaging method enables quick lung infection identification

Federally funded research led by Nalinikanth Kotagiri highlighted in medical news publication

Nalinikanth Kotagiri, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, is hoping to speed up the diagnosis of lung infections by creating a new imaging method that identifies these infections in real time.

Nalinikanth Kotagiri in lab.  Story on DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award Level 1

Nalinikanth Kotagiri aims to develop innovative and advanced solutions to treat human disease through a highly multidisciplinary approach. Photo/UC Marketing + Brand

With the current chest imaging technology, patients with suspected lung infections are unable to receive a specific diagnosis unless they undergo an invasive procedure and wait 2 to 3 days for their results.

In a Q & A with Healio news, Kotagiri explains the research, which is funded by the grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The collaborators on this project include experts in COPD and lung diseases: Francis McCormack, MD, a pulmonologist, and Michael Borchers, PhD, at the University of Cincinnati.  Changchun Xie, PhD, at the University of Cincinnati is the team’s biostatistician, and Suzanne Lapi, PhD, at the University of Alabama-Birmingham will provide the radiochemistry expertise to optimize contrast agent development.

Read the Healio Q & A 

Read more about Kotagiri and his research in a UC web story.

Featured image at top of Kotagiri by Andrew Higley/UC  Marketing + Brand.

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