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Byung Chul Lee

Seoul National University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Byung Chul Lee's research lab specializes in the development of radiolabeling techniques and radiotracers for molecular imaging, particularly in positron emission tomography (PET). The lab focuses on fluorine-18 and technetium-99m based radiotracers for targeting biomarkers such as the translocator protein (TSPO) in inflammatory and cardiac diseases. Key research directions include novel radiofluorination methods, selective defluoroborylation for tracer synthesis, and the evaluation of radiotracer performance in preclinical models of myocarditis and neuroinflammation. The lab also emphasizes practical, scalable, and automated synthesis methods for clinical translation.

PET radiotracersradiofluorinationTSPO imagingdefluoroborylationmyocarditis

Research Overview

Papers
189
Total Citations
2,355
Papers (5y)
35
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
35total
2020
2021
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
343total
20202021202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|74 citations·2011
Facile aromatic radiofluorination of [18F]flumazenil from diaryliodonium salts with evaluation of their stability and selectivity
Byung Seok Moon, Hee Seup Kil, Jun Hyung Park, Jisun Kim, Jimin Park, Dae Yoon, Byung Chul Lee, Sang Eun Kim
SJR Q2Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry

Aromatic radiofluorination of the diaryliodonium tosylate precursor with [(18)F]fluoride ions has been applied successfully to access [(18)F]flumazenil in high radiochemical yields of 67.2 ± 2.7% (decay corrected). The stability and reactivity of the diaryliodonium tosylate precursor plays a key role in increasing the production of (18)F-labelled molecules under the fluorine-18 labelling condition. Various conditions were explored for the preparation of [(18)F]flumazenil from different diaryliod

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
2
Article|47 citations·2018
Cobalt-Catalyzed C–F Bond Borylation of Aryl Fluorides
Soobin Lim, Dalnim Song, Seungwon Jeon, Youngsuk Kim, Hyunseok Kim, Sang‐Hee Lee, Hyungdo Cho, Byung Chul Lee, Sang Eun Kim, Kimoon Kim, Eunsung Lee
SJR Q1Organic Letters

A mild and practical cobalt-catalyzed defluoroborylation of fluoroarenes is presented for the first time. The method permits straightforward functionalization of fluoroarenes, with high selectivity for borylation of C-F over C-H bonds, and a tolerance for aerobic conditions. Furthermore, two-step <sup>18</sup>F-fluorination was achieved for expanding the scope of <sup>18</sup>F-positron emission tomography probes.

Pharmaceutical SciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
3
Article|44 citations·2011
Initial bacterial adhesion on resin, titanium and zirconia in vitro
이병철, 정길용, 김대준, 한중석
The Journal of Advanced of Prosthodontics

PURPOSE. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the adhesion of initial colonizer, Streptococcus sanguis, on resin, titanium and zirconia under the same surface polishing condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Specimens were prepared from Z-250, cp-Ti and 3Y-TZP and polished with 1 μm diamond paste. After coating with saliva, each specimen was incubated with Streptococcus sanguis. Scanning electron microscope, crystal violet staining and measurement of fluorescence intensity resulting from

4
Article|39 citations·2014
[18F]Fluoromethyl-PBR28 as a Potential Radiotracer for TSPO: Preclinical Comparison with [11C]PBR28 in a Rat Model of Neuroinflammation
Byung Seok Moon, Bom Sahn Kim, Chansoo Park, Jae Ho Jung, Youn Woo Lee, Ho‐Young Lee, Dae Yoon, Byung Chul Lee, Sang Eun Kim
SJR Q1Bioconjugate Chemistry

To develop radiotracer for the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) in vivo, N-(2-[(18)F]fluoromethoxybenzyl)-N-(4-phenoxypyridin-3-yl)acetamide ([(18)F]1, [(18)F]fluoromethyl-PBR28) was prepared by incorporating of fluorine-18 into triazolium triflate-PBR28 precursor (7). The radiochemical yield of [(18)F]1 after HPLC purification was 35.8 ± 3.2% (n = 11, decay corrected). Radiotracer [(18)F]1 was found to be chemically stable when incubated in human serum for 4 h at 37 °C. Both aryloxyanilide an

Cellular and Molecular NeuroscienceNeuroscience
5
Article|31 citations·2008
16-Cyclopentadienyl Tricarbonyl 99mTc 16-Oxo-hexadecanoic Acid: Synthesis and Evaluation of Fatty Acid Metabolism in Mouse Myocardium
Byung Chul Lee, Dong Hyun Kim, Iljung Lee, Yearn Seong Choe, Dae Yoon, Kyung-Han Lee, Yong Choi, Byung‐Tae Kim
SJR Q1Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

We synthesized 16-cyclopentadienyl tricarbonyl 99mTc 16-oxo-hexadecanoic acid (99mTc-CpTT-16-oxo-HDA, 1) and investigated its potential as a radiotracer for evaluating fatty acid metabolism in myocardium. Radiotracer 1 was synthesized in 22.6 +/- 6.3% decay-corrected yield by a double ligand transfer reaction between the ferrocene adduct of methyl hexadecanoate ( 2) and Na99mTcO 4 in the presence of Cr(CO)6 and CrCl3, followed by hydrolysis of the methyl ester group. Radiotracer 1 was found to b

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
6
Article|30 citations·2018
Assessment of TSPO in a Rat Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis Model: A Comparison Study between [18F]Fluoromethyl-PBR28 and [18F]CB251
Ga‐Eon Kim, Jin Chul Paeng, Jae Ho Jung, Byung-In Moon, Antonio Lopalco, Nunzio Denora, Byung Chul Lee, Sang Kim
SJR Q1International Journal of Molecular SciencesOA

Overexpression of the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is closely linked to inflammatory responses in the heart, including myocarditis, which can lead to myocardial necrosis. In vivo assessment of inflammatory responses has enabled the precise diagnosis of myocarditis to improve clinical outcomes. Here, we evaluated TSPO overexpression in a rat model of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) compared to healthy rats using two TSPO radiotracers, [18F]fluoromethyl-PBR28 ([18F]1) and [18F]CB25

Cardiology and Cardiovascular MedicineMedicine
7
Article|29 citations·2009
Fluorine-18 labeling and biodistribution studies on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ ligands: potential positron emission tomography imaging agents
Byung Chul Lee, Carmen S. Dence, Hai‐Bing Zhou, Ephraim E. Parent, Michael J. Welch, John A. Katzenellenbogen
SJR Q2Nuclear Medicine and BiologyOA
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
8
Article|27 citations·2014
Routine Production of [18F]Flumazenil from Iodonium Tosylate Using a Sample Pretreatment Method: a 2.5-Year Production Report
Byung Seok Moon, Jun Hyung Park, Hong Jin Lee, Byung Chul Lee, Sang Eun Kim
SJR Q2Molecular Imaging and Biology
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
9
Article|26 citations·2012
Synthesis and biological evaluation of RGD peptides with the99mTc/188Re chelated iminodiacetate core: highly enhanced uptake and excretion kinetics of theranostics against tumor angiogenesis
Byung Chul Lee, Byung Seok Moon, Jisun Kim, Jae Ho Jung, Hyun Soo Park, John A. Katzenellenbogen, Sang Eun Kim
SJR Q1RSC Advances

To develop a companion set of RGD-based agents for diagnostic and radiotherapeutic purposes, facile incorporation of 99mTc(CO)3 or 188Re(CO)3 into the same precursor produced, respectively, a structurally and functionally matched radiodiagnostic and radiotherapeutic—or theranostic—pair. This work presents the synthesis of two 99mTc-labeled RGD monomers (4 and 5) along with a 99mTc-labeled RGD dimer (6) and an investigation of the influence of the small-sized and negatively charged 99mTc-iminodia

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
10
Article|25 citations·2019
TSPO-targeted NIR-fluorescent ultra-small iron oxide nanoparticles for glioblastoma imaging
Nunzio Denora, Chaedong Lee, Rosa Maria Iacobazzi, Ji Young Choi, In Ho Song, Jung Sun Yoo, Yuanzhe Piao, Antonio Lopalco, Francesco Leonetti, Byung Chul Lee, Sang Eun Kim
SJR Q1European Journal of Pharmaceutical SciencesOA
GeneticsMedicine
11
Article|25 citations·2007
99mTc(CO)3-15-[N-(Acetyloxy)-2-picolylamino]pentadecanoic Acid: A Potential Radiotracer for Evaluation of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Byung Chul Lee, Dong Hyun Kim, Jae Hak Lee, Hyun Ju Sung, Yearn Seong Choe, Dae Yoon, Kyung-Han Lee, Yong Choi, Byung‐Tae Kim
SJR Q1Bioconjugate Chemistry

99mTc(CO)3-15-[N-(Acetyloxy)-2-picolylamino]pentadecanoic acid (1a) was prepared by incorporating [99mTc(CO)3]+ into 15-[N-(hydroxycarbonylmethyl)-2-picolylamino]pentadecanoic acid (2a). The overall radiochemical yield of 1a after HPLC purification was 60-63%. Radiotracer 1a was found to be chemically stable when incubated in human plasma for 4 h at 37 degrees C. Tissue distribution studies showed that high radioactivity accumulated in the heart with rapid clearance. The maximum heart-to-blood u

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
12
Article|25 citations·2007
Strategies for the Labeling of Halogen-Substituted Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Ligands: Potential Positron Emission Tomography and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Imaging Agents
Byung Chul Lee, Kyo Chul Lee, Hsiaoju Lee, Robert H. Mach, John A. Katzenellenbogen
SJR Q1Bioconjugate Chemistry

Well-known as an important regulator of lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) also has potential use as a target for antitumor therapy in certain cancers. To develop agents for radionuclide imaging PPARgamma in vivo, we synthesized fluorine, bromine, and iodine-substituted analogs (1-3) of a high-affinity benzophenone-tyrosine PPARgamma ligand; all three analogs retain very high affinity for the PPARgamma receptor. In pre

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
13
Article|23 citations·2003
Potential and Practical Adrenomedullary PET Radiopharmaceuticals as an Alternative to m-Iodobenzylguanidine: m-(ω-[18F]Fluoroalkyl)benzylguanidines
Byung Chul Lee, Jin-Young Paik, Dae Yoon, Kyung-Han Lee, Yearn Seong Choe
SJR Q1Bioconjugate Chemistry

To investigate adrenomedullary radiopharmaceuticals for positron emission tomography (PET), we have developed no-carrier-added m-(omega-[18F]fluoroalkyl)benzylguanidines. m-(omega-[18F]Fluoroalkyl)benzylguanidines were prepared in two steps starting from N,N'-bis(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)-N' '-(omega-methanesulfonyloxyalkyl)benzylguanidines in 20-30% radiochemical yields (decay corrected for 100 min) and with high radiochemical purity (>97%) and shown to be stable (>90%) in an in vitro metabolic st

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
14
Article|19 citations·2018
Preclinical comparison study between [18F]fluoromethyl-PBR28 and its deuterated analog in a rat model of neuroinflammation
Byung Seok Moon, Jae Ho Jung, Hyun Soo Park, Marialessandra Contino, Nunzio Denora, Byung Chul Lee, Sang Eun Kim
SJR Q2Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
OncologyMedicine
15
Article|18 citations·2003
8-Cyclopentadienyltricarbonyl 99mTc 8-Oxooctanoic Acid: A Novel Radiotracer for Evaluation of Medium Chain Fatty Acid Metabolism in the Liver
Byung Chul Lee, Yearn Seong Choe, Dae Yoon, Jin-Young Paik, Kyung-Han Lee, Yong Choi, Byung-Tae Kim
SJR Q1Bioconjugate Chemistry

8-Cyclopentadienyltricarbonyl 99mTc 8-oxooctanoic acid (99mTc-CpTTOA; 1a) was synthesized for evaluation of medium chain fatty acid metabolism in the liver. 99mTc-CpTTOA was prepared in high radiochemical yield (50-63%) by a double ligand transfer reaction of methyl 8-ferrocenyl-8-oxooctanoate and Na99mTcO4 in the presence of CrCl3 and Cr(CO)6, followed by hydrolysis. This radiotracer was shown to be stable (>90% at 6 h) when incubated with human serum. Aqueous extraction of the radioactivity fr

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine

Research Areas

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingEpidemiologyMolecular BiologyImmunology and AllergyPharmaceutical ScienceNeurology

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