Meng honored for pioneering work in medical imaging

Professor Ling-Jian Meng of the Department of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering has received the Pioneering UK-US Breakthroughs Award by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in recognition of his impactful contributions to medical imaging technology. The award was presented at the British Embassy in early March.

This honor highlights a long-standing collaboration between the Meng research group and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Technology Department’s Detector Development Group, led by Matt Wilson. Together, the teams have advanced the Alpha-SPECT series—the world’s first hyperspectral gamma-ray imaging systems designed to visualize alpha-particle-labeled radiopharmaceuticals (alpha-RPT) in both preclinical and clinical settings. The award also reflects the strength of transatlantic scientific partnerships and the critical support of funding agencies, such as the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and UKRI.

The Alpha-SPECT series scanners, including the Alpha-SPECT-mini I–IV scanners and several clinical SPECT scanners, have been deployed at leading institutions such as the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The team is grateful for the generous support from the NIH that enabled the Meng lab to collaborate with several world-renowned physician-scientists and medical physicists at Johns Hopkins, including Dr. George Sgouros, Dr. Yong Du, and Dr. Eric Frey. Notably, the Alpha-SPECT-mini systems have enabled the world’s first total-body pharmacokinetic image of therapeutic alpha-emitters, such as Actinium-225 (Ac-225), in living mice. This breakthrough addresses a critical need for real-time, image-based dosimetry and represents an important step toward more precise, personalized delivery of alpha-RPT treatments.

“The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) scaled up the HEXIECT detector technology into pre-clinical and clinical scanners,” the UKRI release said. “Medical device company, MH3D Inc., supplies this scanner to researchers around the world to support the adoption of these new cancer treatments and move towards human diagnosis and therapy monitoring.

“Faster, more precise development of targeted cancer therapies can reduce healthcare burdens and accelerate the shift toward personalized medicine, attracting commercial investment.”