Prof. Robert N. MULLER, UMONS
robert.muller@umons.ac.be

Robert N. Muller was born in 1948 and studied at the University of Mons-Hainaut (UMH), Belgium, from which he was graduated with a Lic. Sci. Degree in chemistry in 1969. He obtained his PhD in 1974 from the same University where he was successively appointed Assistant, Lecturer and full Professor. He is currently head of the Department of General, Organic and Biomedical Chemistry and, since October 2005, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the University of Mons. He did post-doctoral studies in Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Paul C. Lauterbur’s* research group at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1981-82, collaborated with Drs Seymour Koenig in the domain of fast field cycling relaxometry and was on a sabbatical leave at the Center for Magnetic Resonance (CERM), Florence, Italy with Professors Ivano Bertini and Claudio Luchinat in 2002-2003. Co-founder of the European Workshop on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in Medicine; Vice-Chairman of the European Magnetic Resonance Forum Foundation, 1991-present; President of the European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology, 1987-1988; President of the GRAMM (Groupe de Recherche sur les Applications du Magnétisme en Médecine), 1998-2000; Vice-Chairman of the COST D18 Action, 2003; Founding member of the European Society for Molecular Imaging (ESMI); Editor in chief of the new journal Contrast Media and Molecular Imaging (Wiley) and Member of the editorial boards of Magnetic Resonance Materials MAGMA (Springer) and Investigative Radiology (Lipincott). He has produced around 200 publications and contributed to 6 books mainly in NMR relaxometry, spectroscopy and imaging in the context of the development and applications of contrast agents for Molecular Imaging. Relevant awards: Outstanding teacher award of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine ISMRM (2005) Outstanding teacher award of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine ISMRM (2007) Contrast Media Research Award (2009) Fellow of the European Society for magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology (2010) *2003 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology

Dr Sébastien BOUTRY, Ph. D.
sebastien.boutry@umh.ac.be

Sébastien Boutry was born in 1978 and studied at the University of Mons (UMons) from which he graduated with a M.Sc. Degree (Biology) in 2001. He became a researcher in the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and molecular imaging laboratory of Prof. Robert N. Muller (UMons). Using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique as a tool for biological studies, he first focused on MRI contrast agents (gadolinium-based as well as iron oxide-based) specific for molecular markers of inflammation, developed in the laboratory (six papers were published). He obtained his Ph.D. in Biology in 2007. During his thesis, he performed and published several studies on the magnetic labelling of cells with iron oxide-based nanoparticular MRI contrast agents. He also attempted to use specifically vectorized nanoparticles as tools for the tracing of brain neurons in the context of an Interuniversity Attraction Poles program. This specific cellular targeting aspect was also approached in a work he started as a “FNRS – Télévie” scientific collaborator in 2006, aiming at the development of a specifically targeted contrast agent which might allow for the MRI monitoring of the efficiency of pro-apoptotic drugs used for anti-cancer therapies. In 2008, he became a research collaborator in the Center for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging (CMMI). He is developing biological applications of NMR (MRI and MR spectroscopy), but also other techniques of molecular imaging such as optical imaging and nuclear medicine.

Mathieu ROCH, B. Electr.
mathieu.roch@umons.ac.be

Mathieu Roch was born in 1983. He studied at the “Roi Baudoin” High School (Mons) from which he graduated with a B.Sc. Degree (Electronics) in 2004. For 4 years, he worked in the electronic development of traffic radars for the Belgian society SIRIEN. In 2009, he joined the Center for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging (CMMI) as a technical collaborator responsible for the maintenance of NMR equipments and for the running of MRI and optical imaging experiments.

Mr Luigi Granato
luigi.granato@umons.ac.be

Luigi Granato was born in 1975 and studied at the University of Calabria, Italy, from which he was graduated with a Master’s Science Degree in chemistry in 2004. He was involved in a research project on the synthesis of nucleosides modified as potential antiviral agents. After obtaining his degree he worked at Akzo Nobel Chemical Company in The Netherlands, which is involved in the application of membrane technology for the production of emulsions that have an important role in the formulation of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paints and foods, as well as in the petroleum industry. Currently, he is accomplishing his PhD at the University of Mons, Belgium, the first two years of which were spent at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, under a Marie Curie Research project. The aim of the PhD project is the design synthesis and evaluation of lanthanide (III) based MRI contrast agents suitable for application in relatively high magnetic fields. Several types of complexes are investigated. Synthesis of various chelates and conjugation to high molecular weight carriers (inuline and dendrimer derivatives). Synthesis and attachment of targeting vectors (Peptide derivatives) to these conjugates. He has experience in multi-step organic chemistry synthesis; manipulation of air sensitive compounds; knowledge of common chromatographic techniques: TLC, flash-chromatographic, HPLC, GPC, GC-MS, GC-IR; separation of mixtures by using liquid-liquid extraction, and purification of liquid and solid compounds also by using vacuum distillation; characterization of organic compounds by 1D and 2D 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR, NOE 1H-1H, ESI/MS, FAB/ MS, spectroscopy UV and IR (equipment utilization and spectra interpretation); He is familiar with the use of data bases and software: Beistein Commander and/or Scifinder; ChemOffice; Microsoft Office package.