Luca Menichetti

Luca Menichetti (LM) commenced his professional journey in the radiochemistry of Transition Metals at the JRC-Institute for Transuranium Elements in Karlsruhe, Germany. He subsequently transitioned to tracer chemistry with a focus on medical applications and the development of radiopharmaceuticals at the National Research Council Institute of Clinical Physiology (CNR IFC) in Pisa, Italy. In 2005, he earned the European Certification for the Production and Quality Control of Radiopharmaceuticals from the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, which led to his appointment as the Responsible Officer of the GMP Laboratory for Quality Control of radiopharmaceuticals at CNR-IFC.

LM completed his PhD in "Design, Drug Development and Bio-Pharmaceutical Testing" at the University of Pisa in 2006, followed by a specialization in Clinical Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Pisa, in 2014. He began his independent research career as a Researcher at the Institute of Clinical Physiology in 2000, attaining Full Researcher status by 2009. He currently directs a Radiochemistry and Molecular Imaging Facility, where his specialized research group investigates molecular imaging, MRI, and nanotherapeutics.

In 2014, LM played a crucial role in founding the pan-European ESFRI consortium Eurobioimaging, serving as the representative for the Italian node in Pisa, with a strong emphasis on molecular imaging. This initiative catalyzed a research program dedicated to innovative molecular imaging and nanomedicine strategies, establishing a collaborative network between the CNR and the G.Monasterio Foundation Hospital in Pisa, facilitating the translation of research to pre-clinical and clinical environments. His expertise in molecular imaging, tracer chemistry, and nanomedicine has drawn significant interest from industry partners, expanding the reach of the Pisa facility for interdisciplinary research.

In the last eight years, LM has spearheaded advancements in tracer chemistry that have broadened to include Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy utilizing hyperpolarized 13C molecules. Notably, innovative multimodal approaches incorporating nanostructured multifunctional materials have emerged. In 2008, he served as the Scientific Coordinator overseeing the production of hyperpolarized tracers through Dynamic Nuclear Polarization at Fondazione CNR/Regione Toscana "G.Monasterio" and CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology (Pisa). This pioneering work in 13C spectroscopy capitalized on one of the earliest commercial polarizers (Hypersense, Oxford Instruments) and focused on kinetic modeling and the investigation of complementary pathways in cardiac metabolism.

From 2009 to 2016, LM was an elected member of the Institute Scientific Board of CNR IFC. Since 2013, he has held a contract professor position in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pisa, and since 2015, he has served as a contract professor in the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Siena. LM is the scientific coordinator for national nanomedicine projects and is actively engaged in both national and international research initiatives. Notably, he has authored over 120 ISI publications in the field.