Orit Jacobson Weiss | Radiochemistry | Women Researcher Award

Dr. Orit Jacobson Weiss | Radiochemistry | Women Researcher Award

Dr. Orit Jacobson is a distinguished molecular imaging expert specializing in radiopharmaceutical development. Currently a Staff Scientist and Head of the Radiopharmaceutical Development Group at the Molecular Imaging Branch, NCI/NIH, she has over two decades of expertise in nuclear medicine, chemistry, and imaging. Her career spans significant leadership roles, including VP of R&D at Actithera, Inc., and groundbreaking contributions at NIH. With a prolific research portfolio and numerous patents, Dr. Jacobson is a recognized leader in radiopharmaceutical innovations and molecular imaging for oncology and theranostics.

Profile

Orcid

Scholar

🎓 Education

Postdoc (2008-2011): Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, NIH, USA. Ph.D. (2003-2008): Nuclear Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University, Israel; Thesis on molecular imaging using PET. B.Sc. (1999-2002): Chemistry and Biology, Hebrew University, Israel. Dr. Jacobson’s academic journey emphasizes multidisciplinary excellence in chemistry, biology, and nuclear medicine.

💼 Experience 

NCI/NIH (2023-present): Staff Scientist, Head of Radiopharmaceutical Development. Actithera, Inc. (2021-2023): VP of R&D. NIBIB/NIH (2016-2021): Staff Scientist, Molecular Tracer Core Facility. Hadassah Hebrew University (2011-2013): Head of Chemistry/Radiochemistry Group. Dr. Jacobson’s career integrates leadership, innovation, and translational research.

🏆 Awards and Honors 

Travel Awards: WMIC (2015), ISRS (2009). Research Excellence: Fellows Award, NIH (2014). Academic Scholarships: Israel Academic Women Organization (2007).
Dr. Jacobson’s accolades reflect her outstanding contributions to molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical sciences.

🔬 Research Focus

Dr. Jacobson’s work centers on radiopharmaceutical innovation, including CXCR4-targeted imaging, theranostics, and Evans Blue-based tracers. Her research advances oncology diagnostics, targeted radiotherapy, and translational imaging technologies, with a focus on improving cancer detection and treatment efficacy.

🏆Conclusion 

Dr. Jacobson is a distinguished researcher whose contributions to nuclear medicine and molecular imaging have advanced scientific knowledge and practical applications. Her expertise, leadership, and dedication to innovation make her an excellent candidate for the Women Researcher Award, celebrating her accomplishments and inspiring future generations of women scientists.

Publication:

  • Fluorine-18 radiochemistry, labeling strategies and synthetic routes
    Year: 2015
    Authors: O. Jacobson, D.O. Kiesewetter, X. Chen
    Citations: 588

 

  • Toxic reactive oxygen species enhanced synergistic combination therapy by self‐assembled metal‐phenolic network nanoparticles
    Year: 2018
    Authors: Y. Dai, Z. Yang, S. Cheng, Z. Wang, R. Zhang, G. Zhu, Z. Wang, B.C. Yung, et al.
    Citations: 380

 

  • Biomineralization-inspired synthesis of copper sulfide–ferritin nanocages as cancer theranostics
    Year: 2016
    Authors: Z. Wang, P. Huang, O. Jacobson, Z. Wang, Y. Liu, L. Lin, J. Lin, N. Lu, H. Zhang, et al.
    Citations: 379

 

  • Sequential drug release and enhanced photothermal and photoacoustic effect of hybrid reduced graphene oxide-loaded ultrasmall gold nanorod vesicles for cancer therapy
    Year: 2015
    Authors: J. Song, X. Yang, O. Jacobson, L. Lin, P. Huang, G. Niu, Q. Ma, X. Chen
    Citations: 369

 

  • Ultrasmall Gold Nanorod Vesicles with Enhanced Tumor Accumulation and Fast Excretion from the Body for Cancer Therapy
    Year: 2015
    Authors: J. Song, X. Yang, O. Jacobson, P. Huang, X. Sun, L. Lin, X. Yan, G. Niu, Q. Ma, et al.
    Citations: 304

 

  • Albumin/vaccine nanocomplexes that assemble in vivo for combination cancer immunotherapy
    Year: 2017
    Authors: G. Zhu, G.M. Lynn, O. Jacobson, K. Chen, Y. Liu, H. Zhang, Y. Ma, F. Zhang, et al.
    Citations: 301

 

  • Tumor‐specific drug release and reactive oxygen species generation for cancer chemo/chemodynamic combination therapy
    Year: 2019
    Authors: S. Wang, Z. Wang, G. Yu, Z. Zhou, O. Jacobson, Y. Liu, Y. Ma, F. Zhang, et al.
    Citations: 279

 

  • Supramolecular polymer-based nanomedicine: high therapeutic performance and negligible long-term immunotoxicity
    Year: 2018
    Authors: G. Yu, X. Zhao, J. Zhou, Z. Mao, X. Huang, Z. Wang, B. Hua, Y. Liu, F. Zhang, et al.
    Citations: 257

 

  • Enhanced antitumor efficacy by a cascade of reactive oxygen species generation and drug release
    Year: 2019
    Authors: S. Wang, G. Yu, Z. Wang, O. Jacobson, L.S. Lin, W. Yang, H. Deng, Z. He, Y. Liu, et al.
    Citations: 252

 

  • Intertwining DNA-RNA nanocapsules loaded with tumor neoantigens as synergistic nanovaccines for cancer immunotherapy
    Year: 2017
    Authors: G. Zhu, L. Mei, H.D. Vishwasrao, O. Jacobson, Z. Wang, Y. Liu, B.C. Yung, X. Fu, et al.
    Citations: 238

 

Isidoro Gutierrez-Alvarez | Radioactividad ambiental | Best Researcher Award

 Dr. Isidoro Gutierrez-Alvarez | Hematological Disorders | Best Researcher Award

Dr at Isidoro Gutierrez-Alvarez University of Huelva Spain

I began my research career with an internship at the Atmospheric Sounding Station (ESAt) in El Arenosillo, Mazagón (Huelva), part of the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA). During this stay, I applied my programming knowledge to extract meteorological information from NASA’s MERRA-2 model and became familiar with the “Weather Research and Forecasting” (WRF) atmospheric simulation model, widely used for high-resolution atmospheric simulations. This contact with INTA has been maintained throughout my research career, conducting joint studies between the University of Huelva and INTA. 🌦️🌐

Later, I expanded these capabilities with the use of Lagrangian atmospheric dispersion models such as HYSPLIT and FLEXPART, which I used to study in detail the behavior of radon around the city of Huelva. Thanks to these models, we were able to simulate the transport behavior of radon from the phosphogypsum ponds to the city of Huelva, identifying that breeze events allowed the recirculation of air masses and their gradual enrichment in radon. These studies were published in two research articles in first-quartile journals. 🌬️🔍

During my Ph.D., I not only studied atmospheric radon but also the radon exhalation rates from the phosphogypsum repository. During this stage, I designed and built two reference soils for measuring exhalation rates, which are used to calibrate and verify the correct functioning of radon measuring equipment, especially those focused on radon exhalation. These reference soils demonstrated that it is necessary to insert the accumulation chamber a few centimeters when measuring exhalations to avoid significant leaks through the exhalation material itself. This research resulted in two articles, one of which was published in a first-decile journal. 🌱📊

Additionally, due to my knowledge of data analysis and programming, I have closely collaborated on other projects carried out by the FRYMA research group. Notably, I actively participated in obtaining and analyzing results in the works of Dr. Guerrero Márquez. 🤝💻

So far, I have supervised three undergraduate theses (TFG) and two master’s theses (TFM), and another two are expected to be defended in September 2023, totaling seven TFG/TFM. Moreover, I am co-director of a doctoral thesis titled “Development and improvement of techniques to characterize the properties of 222Rn in materials and construction systems; modeling the behavior of 222Rn inside homes,” where I play a major role in the academic supervision due to my familiarity with the subject. 📜🏠

Profile

 

📚Academic Background

Degree University Year
Ph.D. Universidad de Huelva 2020
Master in Renewable Distributed Energy Universidad de Córdoba 2017
Bachelor’s Degree in Physics Universidad de Sevilla 2015

Previous Professional Experience

Period | Position / Institution / Country / Reason for Interruption — | — | — 2016-2020 | Predoctoral Researcher / Universidad de Huelva / Spain 2020-2022 | Postdoctoral Researcher / Universidad de Huelva / Spain 2022 | Postdoctoral Researcher (Margarita Salas Fellowship) / Universidad de Cantabria / Spain 2023-Present | Postdoctoral Researcher (Margarita Salas Fellowship) / Universidad de Huelva / Spain

Publications Top Notes 📝

  1. Greenhouse gases in the tall tower of El Arenosillo station in Southwestern Europe: First-year of measurements
    • Authors: J.A. Adame, R. Padilla, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez, et al.
    • Journal: Atmospheric Research
    • Year: 2024
    • Volume: 299
    • Article: 107221
  2. Surface ozone trends reversal for June and December in an Atlantic natural coastal environment
    • Authors: J.A. Adame, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez, A. Notario, M. Yela
    • Journal: Environmental Science and Pollution Research
    • Year: 2024
    • Volume: 31
    • Issue: 11
    • Pages: 17461-17471
  3. Behavior of 222Rn, 220Rn and their progenies along a daily cycle for different meteorological situations: Implications on atmospheric aerosol residence times and Rn daughters’ equilibrium factors
    • Authors: A. Barba-Lobo, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez, J.A. Adame, E.G. San Miguel, J.P. Bolívar
    • Journal: Journal of Hazardous Materials
    • Year: 2024
    • Volume: 464
    • Article: 132998
    • Citations: 1
  4. Control of Radon Flux of an Inactive Uranium Mill Facility in Spain
    • Authors: I. Fuente, C. Sainz, L. Quindós, et al.
    • Journal: Atmosphere
    • Year: 2023
    • Volume: 14
    • Issue: 10
    • Article: 1536
  5. A methodology to determine 212Pb, 212Bi, 214Pb and 214Bi in atmospheric aerosols; Application to precisely obtain aerosol residence times and Rn-daughters’ equilibrium factors
    • Authors: A. Barba-Lobo, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez, E.G. San Miguel, J.P. Bolívar
    • Journal: Journal of Hazardous Materials
    • Year: 2023
    • Volume: 445
    • Article: 130521
    • Citations: 5
  6. Surface ozone trends at El Arenosillo observatory from a new perspective
    • Authors: J.A. Adame, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez, P. Cristofanelli, J.P. Bolívar, M. Yela
    • Journal: Environmental Research
    • Year: 2022
    • Volume: 214
    • Article: 113887
    • Citations: 4
  7. A simple and precise methodology to determine particulate matter mass in atmospheric filters; validation and application cases
    • Authors: A. Barba-Lobo, I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez, J.A. Adame, J.P. Bolívar
    • Journal: Environmental Research
    • Year: 2022
    • Volume: 214
    • Article: 113817
    • Citations: 3
  8. Use of a fuzzy qualitative model to reanalyze radon relationship with atmospheric variables in a coastal area near a NORM repository
    • Authors: I. Gutiérrez-Álvarez, J. Aroba, J.E. Martín, J.A. Adame, J.P. Bolívar
    • Journal: Environmental Technology and Innovation
    • Year: 2022
    • Volume: 28
    • Article: 102619
    • Citations: 2