Professor Franklin Aigbirhio FMedSci
College positions: Senior Research Fellow
University position: Professor of Molecular Imaging Chemistry
Subject: Chemistry; Medical Imaging
Professor Franklin Aigbirhio is a Senior Research Fellow at Magdalene.
My research is in the development and application of biomedical imaging methods, in particular the imaging technology of positron emission tomography (PET). My objectives are to design and develop new imaging agents that are specific to human biomarkers associated with different disorders, such as dementia, cancer and heart disease. Then apply them in clinical imaging research to investigate disease mechanisms, improve their early detection and diagnosis and develop new treatments.
As part of this research, I have led several national network and organisations. This includes being Chair of the MRC Dementias-Platform UK Imaging Network where I helped to establish £46M network of clinical PET-MR scanners and Chair of the UK PET Innovation Network which aims to increase innovation and translation of PET technology and radiopharmaceuticals in the UK.
I am involved in equality, diversity and inclusion activities at Magdalene College and wider. This includes being Co-Chair (2020-22) of the University of Cambridge Race Equality Network, Diversity Champion (2022 -) for the Academy of Medical Sciences and Co-Chair (2022-) of the MRC Black in Biomedical Science Advisory Group.
Qualifications
- BSc (Hons)
- MA (Cantab)
- DPhil (Sussex)
- CChem FRSC
Professional Affiliations
- Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
KEY PUBLICATIONS
A Phase I/IIa Clinical Trial to Evaluate Safety and Adrenal Uptake of Para-Chloro-2-[18F]Fluoroethyletomidate in Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Primary Aldosteronism, Gillett D, Senanayake R, MacFarlane J, Bashari W, Palma A, Hu L, Harper I, Mendichovszky IA, Antoni G, Hellman P, Sundin A, Hird M, Boros I, Brown MJ, Cheow H, Aloj L, Gurnell M, Aigbirhio F. J Nucl Med. 2025 Mar 3;66(3):434-440. PMID: 39884776.
Detecting and Tracking β-Amyloid Oligomeric Forms and Dynamics In Vitro by a High-Sensitivity Fluorescent-Based Assay, Zhao Y, Brener O, Andrzejewska E, Wei J, Reiß C, Tietz O, Knowles TPJ, Aigbirhio FI. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024 Dec 18;15(24):4383-4389. PMID: 39611283.
Blood inflammation relates to neuroinflammation and survival in frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Malpetti M, Swann P, Tsvetanov KA, Chouliaras L, Strauss A, Chikaura T, Murley AG, Ashton NJ, Barker P, Jones PS, Fryer TD, Hong YT, Cope TE, Savulich G, Street D, Bevan-Jones WR, Rittman T, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Aigbirhio FI, O'Brien JT, Rowe JB. Brain. 2025 Feb 3;148(2):493-505. PMID: 39155063.