Contact

• workNuclear Medicine
  Queen's Medical Centre
  Nottingham
  NG7 2UH
  UK
• work0115 9709172
• Helen.Betts@nottingham.ac.uk

Research Summary

My research focuses on the development of novel radiotracers for positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging.

PET and SPECT are whole body imaging techniques that use trace quantities of radioisotope-tagged bioactive molecules to probe biological function. I'm interested to develop new radiochemical methods for attaching the radiolabels, as well as designing new radiolabelled compounds for clinically relevant targets, and investigating these radiotracers in clinical trials.

Recent projects include development of new radiotracers for imaging bacterial infection, hypoxia imaging in cancer patients using ¹⁸F-HX4 (OXYPET Trial), development of new fluorine-18 labelled molecules for protein synthesis imaging, and various early stage radiochemistry projects using fluorine-18, zirconium-89 and technetium-99m. My background is in radiochemistry and synthetic chemistry, and more recently CTIMP imaging trials.

Recent Publications

• N. K. RAMAKRISHNAN, H. M. BETTS, S. MILICEVIC SEPHTON, X. ZHOU and D. J. WILLIAMSON, 2022. Automated radiosynthesis and preclinical in vivo evaluation of [18F]Fluoroethylpuromycin as a potential radiotracer for imaging protein synthesis with PET Nuclear Medicine and Biology. 114-115, 71-77
• H.M. BETTS, R.A. O'CONNOR, J.A. CHRISTIAN, V. VINAYAKAMOORTHY, K. FOWERAKER, A.C. PASCOE and A.C. PERKINS, 2019. Hypoxia imaging with [18F]HX4 PET in squamous cell head and neck cancers: a pilot study for integration into treatment planning Nuclear Medicine Communications. 40(1), 73-78
• A. O'CONNOR and H.M. BETTS, 2017. Current Evidence and Applications: Lung Cancer. In: S. CHUA, ed., Clinicians’ Guides to Radionuclide Hybrid Imaging PET/CT in Radiotherapy Planning. Springer. 45-50
• H.M. BETTS, S. MILICEVIC SEPHTON, C. TONG, R.O. AWAIS, P.J. HILL, A.C. PERKINS and F.I. AIGBIRHIO, 2016. Synthesis, in Vitro Evaluation, and Radiolabeling of Fluorinated Puromycin Analogues: Potential Candidates for PET Imaging of Protein Synthesis Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 59(20), 9422-9430

• View all publications

• N. K. RAMAKRISHNAN, H. M. BETTS, S. MILICEVIC SEPHTON, X. ZHOU and D. J. WILLIAMSON, 2022. Automated radiosynthesis and preclinical in vivo evaluation of [18F]Fluoroethylpuromycin as a potential radiotracer for imaging protein synthesis with PET Nuclear Medicine and Biology. 114-115, 71-77
• H.M. BETTS, R.A. O'CONNOR, J.A. CHRISTIAN, V. VINAYAKAMOORTHY, K. FOWERAKER, A.C. PASCOE and A.C. PERKINS, 2019. Hypoxia imaging with [18F]HX4 PET in squamous cell head and neck cancers: a pilot study for integration into treatment planning Nuclear Medicine Communications. 40(1), 73-78
• A. O'CONNOR and H.M. BETTS, 2017. Current Evidence and Applications: Lung Cancer. In: S. CHUA, ed., Clinicians’ Guides to Radionuclide Hybrid Imaging PET/CT in Radiotherapy Planning. Springer. 45-50
• H.M. BETTS, S. MILICEVIC SEPHTON, C. TONG, R.O. AWAIS, P.J. HILL, A.C. PERKINS and F.I. AIGBIRHIO, 2016. Synthesis, in Vitro Evaluation, and Radiolabeling of Fluorinated Puromycin Analogues: Potential Candidates for PET Imaging of Protein Synthesis Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 59(20), 9422-9430
• D.R. TURTON, H.M. BETTS, D. DUTTON and A.C. PERKINS, 2015. Automated Radiosynthesis of GMP Quality [18F]HX4 for PET Imaging of Hypoxia Nuclear Medicine and Biology. 42(5), 494-498
• H.M. BETTS, S.I. PASCU, A. BUCHARD, P.D. BONNITCHA and J.R. DILWORTH, 2014. One-Pot Synthesis, Characterisation, and Kinetic Stability of Novel Side-Bridged Pentaazamacrocyclic Copper(II) Complexes RSC Advances. 4, 12964-12970.
• H.M. BETTS and E.G. ROBINS, 2014. 2-Bromo-6-[18F]fluoropyridine: Two-step Fluorine-18 Radiolabelling via Transition Metal Mediated Chemistry Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals. 57(4), 215-218
• P.D. BONNITCHA, S.R. BAYLY, M.B.M. THEOBALD, H.M. BETTS, J.S. LEWIS and J.R. DILWORTH, 2010. Nitroimidazole Conjugates of Bis(thiosemicarbazonato)64Cu(II) - Potential Combination Agents for the PET Imaging of Hypoxia Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 104(2), 126-135
• H.M. BETTS, P.J. BARNARD, S.R. BAYLY, J.R. DILWORTH, A.D. GEE and J.P. HOLLAND, 2008. Controlled Axial Coordination: Solid-Phase Synthesis and Purification of Metallo-Radiopharmaceuticals Angewandte Chemie. 47(44), 8416-8419
• S.R. BAYLY, R.C. KING, D.J. HONESS, P.J. BARNARD, H.M. BETTS, J.P. HOLLAND, R. HUETING, P.D. BONNITCHA, J.R. DILWORTH, F.I. AIGBIRHIO and M. CHRISTLIEB, 2008. In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluations of a Hydrophilic 64Cu-Bis(thiosemicarbazonato)-glucose Conjugate for Hypoxia Imaging Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 49(11), 1862-1868
• S.I. PASCU, P.A. WAGHORN, T.D. CONRY, B. LIN, H.M. BETTS, J.R. DILWORTH, R.B. SIM, G.C. CHURCHILL, F.I. AIGBIRHIO and J.E. WARREN, 2008. Cellular Confocal Fluorescence Studies and Cytotoxic Activity of New Zn(II) Bis(thiosemicarbazonato) Complexes Dalton Transactions. 16, 2107-2110
• P.J. BARNARD, S.R. BAYLY, H.M. BETTS, P.D. BONNITCHA, M. CHRISTLIEB, J.R. DILWORTH, J.P. HOLLAND and S.I. PASCU, 2008. Towards New Copper Based Radiopharmaceuticals Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. 52(2), 174-184
• J.P. HOLLAND, P.J. BARNARD, S.R. BAYLY, H.M. BETTS, G.C. CHURCHILL, J.R. DILWORTH, R. EDGE, J.C. GREEN and R. HUETING, 2008. Synthesis, Radiolabelling and Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy of Styrene-Derivatised Bis(thiosemicarbazonato)zinc and -Copper Complexes European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. 12, 1985-1993
• S.I. PASCU, P.A. WAGHORN, T.D. CONRY, H.M. BETTS, J.R. DILWORTH, G.C. CHURCHILL, T. POKROVSKA, M. CHRISTLIEB, F.I. AIGBIRHIO and J.E. WARREN, 2007. Designing Zn(II) and Cu(II) Derivatives as Probes for In Vitro Fluorescence Imaging Dalton Transactions. 43, 4988-4997
• J.P. HOLLAND, F.I. AIGBIRHIO, H.M. BETTS, P.D. BONNITCHA, P. BURKE, M. CHRISTLIEB, G.C. CHURCHILL, A. R. COWLEY, J.R. DILWORTH, P.S. DONNELLY, J.C. GREEN, J.M. PEACH, S.R. VASUDEVAN and J.E. WARREN, 2007. Functionalized Bis(thiosemicarbazonato) Complexes of Zinc and Copper: Synthetic Platforms Toward Site-Specific Radiopharmaceuticals Inorganic Chemistry. 46(2), 465-485