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Hua Yang

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Featured Publications

Wharton, L. ; McNeil, S. W. ; Meeres, H. ; Zhang, D. ; Ingham, A. ; Merkens, H. ; Osooly, M. ; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, C. ; Bénard, F. ; Yang, H. Chelating [227Th]Th4+ For Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy Of Neuroendocrine Tumors. Bioconjugate Chemistry 2025, 36.
Saeedi, B. ; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, C. ; Esquinas, P. L. ; Merkens, H. ; Bénard, F. ; Radchenko, V. ; Yang, H. First Preclinical Spect/ct Imaging And Biodistribution Of [165Er]Ercl3 And [165Er]Er-Psma-617. EJNMMI Radiopharm Chemistry 2024.
Wharton, L. ; McNeil, S. W. ; Zhang, C. ; Engudar, G. ; Van de Voorde, M. ; Zeisler, J. ; Koniar, H. ; Sekar, S. ; Yuan, Z. ; Schaffer, P. ; Radchenko, V. ; Ooms, M. ; Kunz, P. ; Bénard, F. ; Yang, H. Preclinical Evaluation Of Mc1R Targeting Theranostic Pair [155Tb]Tb-Crown-Αmsh And [161Tb]Tb-Crown-Αmsh. Nuclear Medicine and Biology 2024, 136-137.
McNeil, S. W. ; Van de Voorde, M. ; Zhang, C. ; Ooms, M. ; Bénard, F. ; Radchenko, V. ; Yang, H. A Simple And Automated Method For 161Tb Purification And Icp-Ms Analysis Of 161Tb. EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry 2022, 7.

Research and Teaching Interests

Research Interests

Bridging the fundamental chemistry and the applications in nuclear medicine, the Yang Lab focuses on using emerging radioisotopes for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. Our labs are located at TRIUMF, Canada's particle accelerator center and the home of the world’s largest cyclotron.  We leverage our unique infrastructure and chemistry knowledge to produce unconventional radionuclides, improve chelators for radiometals, and test novel radiopharmaceuticals.  

At radionuclide production front, we are one of the few centers in the world that can produce Ac-225, a potent alpha-emitter that has shown remarkable clinical efficacy. We also produce Th-227, Bi-213, and Pb-212 for alpha therapy, and lanthanides isotopes (La-135, Tb-155, Er-165) for in vivo imaging.

We established a comprehensive program developing new chelators for f-block radiometals. For some of the medically relevant radiometals, the perfect chelator is yet to be discovered. Our lead chelator for Ac-225, named crown, which features high labeling efficiency at room temperature and good stability in vivo, is heading to clinical use.

Ultimately, we would like to make our discoveries useful. We work with BC Cancer and other partners to investigate peptide or antibody-based radiopharmaceuticals targeting breast cancer, neuroendocrine tumours, and melanoma.  The translational nature of our research allows us to explore more practical applications that can have a real-world impact.  

If you are interested in conducting undergraduate or graduate research in our labs, please contact Dr. Hua Yang ( ). 

 

Teaching

In May 2026, together with Dr. Miffy Chen (Pharmaceutical Science), Dr. Joseph Lau (Radiology), Dr. Hua Yang will teach a graduate level crush course on Radiochemistry, Imaging, and Radiopharmaceuticals, covering a range of topics with practical sessions on imaging acquisition and processing. Stay tuned for PHAR518. 

Contact

Real name: 
Hua Yang
Email: 
Office Phone Number: 
604-222-1047 ext. 6756