chemistry

Neil Vasdev

Neil Vasdev is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Neil Vasdev rather than just read about it. In short: Neil Vasdev is a Canadian and American radiochemist and expert in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, particularly in the application of PET. Radiotracers developed by the Vasdev Lab are in preclinical use worldwide, and many have been translated for first-in-human neuroimaging studies.

Key takeaways

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Reproduce the core statement of Neil Vasdev from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Neil Vasdev is a Canadian and American radiochemist and expert in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, particularly in the application of PET. Radiotracers developed by the Vasdev Lab are in preclinical use worldwide, and many have been translated for first-in-human neuroimaging studies. He is the director and chief radiochemist of the Brain Health Imaging Centre and director of the Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Radiochemistry and Nuclear Medicine, the endowed Azrieli Chair in Brain and Behaviour and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Vasdev has been featured on Global News, CTV, CNN, New York Times, Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail for his innovative research program. Vasdev began his independent faculty career at CAMH/University of Toronto in 2004. From 2011–2017 he served as the director of radiochemistry and an associate centre director at the Massachusetts General Hospital and served as an associate professor in the department of radiology at Harvard Medical School from 2012–2022. He was recruited back to CAMH and the University of Toronto in November 2017.

Life and education Vasdev grew up in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. He attended Oakville Trafalgar High School and graduated from McMaster University in 1998 with double bachelor degrees, summa cum laude, Hon. BSc in chemistry and B.A. in psychology. He concurrently worked as chemist at Astra Pharma and Glaxo-Wellcome. He then earned his Doctorate of Chemistry, supported by NSERC, at McMaster University in 2003, under the supervision of Professors Raman Chirakal and Gary J. Schrobilgen. He continued training with a NSERC postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Functional Imaging at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, mentored by Henry F. VanBrocklin.

Honours and awards Scholarly and academic awards of Vasdev's career include:

Fellow of Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging in 2021, for his distinguished service to the Society, and exceptional achievement in the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. Fellow of American Chemical Society in 2020, for his outstanding achievements and contributions to science, the profession and the Society. Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry in 2020, for his impact to the field of chemical sciences Research award of John R. Evans Leaders Fund 2019–2024 (specialty: Radiochemistry) from Canada Foundation for Innovation. This funding supports his proposal: "Automated apparatus for PET radiopharmaceuticals to image the living human brain" Research award of Endowed Azrieli Chair in Brain and Behaviour 2018–2023 (Specialty: Neuroimaging) from University of Toronto. Research Award of Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Radiochemistry and Nuclear Medicine 2017–2024 (specialty: Radiochemistry and Nuclear Medicine) from Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). Leaders Opportunity Fund (Research Infrastructure) 2009–2014 (specialty: Radiochemistry) from Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

Research statements

Iodonium ylide precursors for 18F-labeling Current methods to radiofluorinate non-activated aromatic rings are generally limited to esoteric electrophilic [18F]F2 reactions, transition-metal mediated, or iodonium salt based methods. The Vasdev Lab has a long-established history of labeling non-activated aromatics and recently discovered a simple synthetic strategy for incorporating [18F]fluoride into non-activated aromatic molecules using spirocyclic iodoium ylide based precursors. Based on their paper in Nature Communications, a patent has been licensed by the pharmaceutical industry to employ this method for the synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals in humans. Hence, the iodonium ylide technology for fluorination represents a major advance for PET imaging.

11C-fixation strategies There is a need for new methods of 11C radiosynthesis because current methods are largely limited to methylation. The Vasdev lab has co-developed new techniques of 11CO2 fixation that are suitable for human use with diverse precursors synthesized by labeling at the carbonyl group (rather than the common methyl group). This methodology can label 11C-carbamates for imaging the enzyme FAAH ([11C]CURB) or 11C-oxazolidinones for imaging MAO-B (11C-SL25.1188), both of which they have translated for human use. They have also synthesized 11C-ureas and a 11C-carboxylic acid (11C-Bexarotene).

New PET radiopharmaceuticals for Alzheimer's disease and brain injuries Vasdev has introduced new radiochemical methods and radiopharmaceuticals for imaging the living human brain. The Vasdev Lab is exploring new ways to image neuroinflammation and tau protein. He is the co-inventor of the method patent for the first and only FDA-approved tau-PET radiopharmaceutical Tauvid that has been employed worldwide to image patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias, as well as patients with symptomatic traumatic brain injuries, including professional athletes and military veterans. The Vasdev Lab is partnering with Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada and the Canadian Military to work on the Project Enlist to study whether some military training exercises could be negatively impacting long-term brain health. "We are getting very close to advancing new radio tracers in humans to image the tau that is more prevalent in C.T.E.".

Selected publications Vasdev has over 10 families of patents and has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers including:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Neil Vasdev

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Neil Vasdev claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Neil Vasdev before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Neil Vasdev ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Neil Vasdev

In research: Neil Vasdev appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Neil Vasdev in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Neil Vasdev is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Academic staff of the University of Toronto, Canadian psychiatrists, Fellows of the American Chemical Society, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Neil Vasdev outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Neil Vasdev in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Neil Vasdev means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Neil Vasdev out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Neil Vasdev in simple terms?

Why does Neil Vasdev matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Neil Vasdev?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Neil Vasdev.