Follow Louise defending her thesis!
On Thursday May 25, at 10.30–13.00 in Auditorium 2, Science Bldg, MSc Louise Bergsjø Sand will defend her thesis «Synthetic studies toward [18F]-fluorination of solid-supported silyl ethers». In this work, the foundations have been laid for a new method for 18F radiolabelling of peptides and other biologically relevant molecules. In addition, peptide-based tracers for PET imaging have been prepared. 
A number of different silyl ethers have been prepared to investigate fluorine-initiated breaking of silicon-oxygen bonds for radiolabeling of biologically relevant molecules. Synthesis of silanes and chlorosilanes with different substitution patterns has laid the foundation for further stability studies and exploration of fluorination conditions. The preparation of Si-O bonds was challenging for the sterically hindered di-tert-butyl analogues, while for the diisopropyl analogues silyl ethers with varied functionality on the aromatic ring (azide, aldehyde, ethers) were made. One silyl ether analogue was immobilized on the solid phase and fluorinations of both non-immobilized and immobilized precursor were successful. Testing of [18F]-fluorination of the solid-phase precursor at the PET center at Haukeland University Hospital gave promising results. Further studies of reaction conditions are necessary to be able to illuminate the full potential of the method.
Three peptide-based tracers suitable for studying activation of the immune system have also been prepared. These contain various chelators that can be coordinated to metallic radioisotopes. The three precursors will be radiolabeled with [68Ga], and potentially [64Cu], and will be studied further by our partners in Tromsø.
Personnel
Louise Bergsjø Sand (b. 1992) holds a master’s degree in chemistry (UiB, 2016). The doctoral work has been financed by UiB and the Trond Mohn Foundation, and the project has been carried out at both the Department of Chemistry at UiB and at the PET center at Haukeland Hospital (HUS). The main supervisor has been Prof. Bengt Erik Haug (Department of Chemistry, UiB) and co-supervisors have been Ole Heine Kvernenes (PET center, HUS) and Emmet Mc Cormack (K2, HUS).
