Welcome to the Frangioni Laboratory at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Our mission is to solve important clinical problems by applying first principles from chemistry and engineering. The major focus of the laboratory is on the development of imaging technology and contrast agents to see cancer at its smallest possible manifestation. We believe that Seeing is Curing—that is, if we can see cancer at an earlier stage than we now can (currently about 1 billion cells) we will have a greater likelihood of curing it.

Small molecule targeting ligand to the active site of prostate-specific membrane antigen. Single nucleophile (blue) permits conjugation to diagnostic and therapeutic molecules. ()

Our laboratory is addressing the cancer detection problem in three ways.

• First, we are developing novel imaging technology (such as our intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence imaging system) to improve cancer detection where it is needed most.
• Second, we are developing low molecular weight ligands (i.e., peptides and small molecules) that are able to "home" to cancer wherever it is located in the body.
• Finally, we are developing robust chemical methods for contrast agent generation using low molecular weight ligands.

By combining engineering and chemistry, we believe that much smaller numbers of cancer cells can be detected, thus giving the patient the benefit of an earlier and more clear-cut diagnosis. With these advances, we someday hope to improve the probability of cure.

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