School of Pharmacy Researcher Wins Regents Award for Faculty Collaboration

Gerald Rosen, PhD, JD has received the inaugural University System of Maryland Board of Regents Award for Faculty Collaboration

By Jill Grozalsky
April 10, 2009

Gerald Rosen, PhD, JD, the Isaac E. Emerson Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the School of Pharmacy, has received the inaugural University System of Maryland Board of Regents Award for Faculty Collaboration for his research with Joseph Kao, PhD, of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute on a new biomedical imaging method.

Since 2004, Rosen and Kao have been working on a method called electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI). Unlike magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a well-known diagnostic technique that provides anatomical information about the body, EPRI can potentially track and visualize cell movements in real time within the body, such as the spread of metastatic cancer cells, or the sites where stem cells localize after they are introduced into the body.

Rosen and Kao are focusing on EPRI probes that can detect changes in the physiological status of tissue. These probes need to be both magnetic and highly specific, to permit tagging and tracking of specific cell types or biologically active molecules. Depending upon the specificity of the probe, EPR imaging can even monitor changes in brain oxygen levels that can assist in therapeutic interventions after a stroke.

“Drs. Rosen and Kao’s collaborative research on EPR magnetic probe technology has the potential to change biomedical research and significantly improve health,” said Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, dean of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. “The quality and breadth of their work, and the numerous patents and countless publications in prestigious journals stand as evidence of their outstanding achievements.”

“I am honored to have been selected by the Regents along with my good friend and colleague Dr. Kao to receive their award for faculty collaboration,” said Rosen. “The support we have received from the School of Pharmacy, UMBI and the University of Maryland, Baltimore has allowed us to make significant strides in our research. I look forward to many more years of collaboration with Dr. Kao as we continue our efforts to develop techniques to better visualize areas of the brain damaged by devastating illnesses such as stroke.”

Established in 1995, the Faculty Awards are the highest honors presented to the USM faculty by the Board of Regents. Awardees are selected by the Council of University System Faculty and approved by the board.