Luca Menichetti

Luca Menichetti began his scientific career in Transition Metal Radiochemistry at the JRC–Institute for Transuranium Elements (Karlsruhe, Germany), before focusing on tracer development and medical radiopharmaceuticals at the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Research Council (CNR-IFC), Pisa. In 2005, he obtained the European Certification in Radiopharmaceutical Production and Quality Control from the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, and subsequently became Responsible Officer for the GMP Quality Control Laboratory at CNR-IFC.

He earned his PhD in Design, Drug Development and Bio-Pharmaceutical Testing (University of Pisa, 2006) and later specialised in Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Pisa Faculty of Medicine (2014). He joined CNR-IFC as a Researcher in 2000, became a Researcher in 2009, and a Senior Researcher in 2003. Currently, he leads the Radiochemistry and Molecular Imaging Group, coordinating a research group active in molecular imaging, MRI and nanotherapeutics.

In 2014, he contributed to the establishment of the Euro-BioImaging ESFRI European infrastructure, representing the Italian node in Pisa with strong emphasis on molecular imaging and translational applications. This effort fostered a structured research program in molecular imaging and nanomedicine, strengthening collaboration between CNR and the G. Monasterio Foundation Hospital, and supporting translation from preclinical research to clinical practice. His expertise in tracer chemistry, imaging science and nanomedicine has also promoted strong collaborations with pharmaceutical, radiopharmaceutical and biomedical industry partners.

Over recent years, his research has significantly advanced tracer chemistry and expanded toward Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy with hyperpolarised-13C molecules. He coordinated pioneering activities on Dynamic Nuclear Polarisation at Fondazione G. Monasterio and CNR-IFC, contributing to early translational applications of 13Cmetabolic imaging, kinetic modelling, and cardiac metabolism studies.

Since 2013, he has been a Contract Professor in the Department of Chemistry, University of Pisa. He coordinates national nanomedicine initiatives, participates in numerous national and international research programs, and is the author of more than 120 ISI-indexed publications in molecular imaging, radiochemistry, nanomedicine and biomedical technologies.