Jeanne Link is the Director for the Center for Radiochemistry Research at Oregon Health & Science University and has worked on development of new radiopharmaceuticals for three decades. She received her BS from the University of California at Davis in Biological Sciences, a MS in Radiation Ecology and PhD in Analytical and Radiochemistry from University of Washington. She led PET radiochemistry operations at the University of Washington for 20 years prior to moving to OHSU in 2014.

Dr. Link’s scientific goals include molecular imaging using gamma emitting radiation, which is the most sensitive noninvasive method available to evaluate most biochemical pathways in vivo. When a radiolabeled chemical or quantitative biochemical is injected and used with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, a temporal and spatial distribution of the compound throughout the body is obtained. The Center for Radiochemistry Research makes radiolabeled compounds that target specific pathways in the body, such as parts of signaling systems, including the transmitters and receptors and enzymes in those pathways. Other compounds can show the spatial distribution of a drug throughout the body and there are a myriad of other potential targets. The limit of the technique is how carefully we ask the question about a disease. Dr. Link's work focuses on translating what has been learned in cellular work and animal studies to further research in animal models and human imaging studies. This leads to a better understanding of the mechanisms, extent and phenotype of diseases. This work improves understanding of disease and drugs in vivo to select appropriate treatment for an individual therapy, thereby improving outcome.