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Research Interests

The research interests in my laboratory are focused on developing novel radiolabeled peptides for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In particular, we are using radiolabeled alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (a-MSH) peptides for melanoma detection and therapy. Malignant melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer and the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer with an increasing incidence in the United States. Currently, no cure exists for metastatic melanoma due to its resistance to current chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimens. Radiolabeled a-MSH peptides are attractive novel probes for melanoma imaging and therapy due to their specific nanomolar binding affinities to melanocortin-1 (MC1) receptors that are over-expressed on human and mouse melanoma cells. Radiolabeled a-MSH peptides can selectively deliver diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides to melanoma cells through the peptide-receptor interaction for imaging and therapy. Radiolabeled a-MSH peptides can be transferred into the cells by MC1 receptors once the peptides bind to the receptors on the cell surface. Hence, melanoma tumors can be detected non-invasively by imaging modalities through the collection of signals generated from diagnostic radionuclides. Moreover, melanoma tumors can be effectively treated by radiation yielded from therapeutic radionuclides delivered by a-MSH peptides selectively

Education

• Beijing Normal University, P. R. China, B.S. in Chemistry, 1992
• Beijing Normal University, P. R. China, Ph.D. in Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, 1997

Honors

• Outstanding Ph.D. Candidate Award, Beijing Normal University, 1996
• Postdoctoral Fellowship of Life Science Mission Enhancement, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999-2001
• Beijing Normal University Outstanding Research Achievement Award, 2002
• American Society of Nuclear Medicine Radiopharmaceutical Science Young Investigators Award, 2002
• American Associations of Colleges of Pharmacy New Investigator Award, 2007

Professional Experience

• 4/2006-present: Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, NM, USA.
• 3/2003-3/2006: Research Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri, MO, USA.
• 10/1999-2/2003: Postdoctoral Fellow, Biochemistry Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
• 7/1999-9/1999: Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.
• 7/1997-6/1999: Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.

Selected Publications:

1. Yubin Miao, Nellie K. Owen, Timothy J. Hoffman, Thomas P. Quinn. Therapeutic efficacy of a 188Re labeled a-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptide analog in murine and human melanoma-bearing mouse models. Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2005;46:121-129.
    
2. Yubin Miao, Mark Hylarides, Darrell R. Fisher, Herbert Moore, Dennis W. Wester, Alan R. Fritzberg, Richard Testa, Timothy J. Hoffman, Thomas P. Quinn. Melanoma therapy via peptide-targeted ?-radiation. Clinical Cancer Research 2005;11:5616-5621.
    
3. Yubin Miao, Timothy J. Hoffman, Thomas P. Quinn. Tumor targeting properties of 90Y and 177Lu labeled alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptide analogues in a murine melanoma model. Nuclear Medicine and Biology 2005;32:485-493.
    
4. Paul McQuade, Yubin Miao, Jeongsoo Yoo, Thomas P. Quinn, Michael J. Welch, Jason S. Lewis. Imaging of melanoma using 64Cu and 86Y-DOTA-ReCCMSH(Arg11), a cyclized peptide analogue of a-MSH. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2005;48:2985-2992.
    
5. Yubin Miao, Darrell R. Fisher, Thomas P. Quinn. Reducing renal uptake of 90Y and 177Lu labeled alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptide analogues. Nuclear Medicine and Biology 2006;33:723-733.
    
6. Yubin Miao, Katherine Benwell, Thomas P. Quinn. 99mTc and 111In labeled alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptides as imaging probes for primary and pulmonary metastatic melanoma detection. Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2007;48:73-80.
    
7. Lihui Wei, Clayton Butcher, Yubin Miao, Fabio Gallazzi, Thomas P. Quinn, Michael J. Welch, Jason S. Lewis. Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Cu-64 labeled Rhenium-Cyclized ?-MSH Peptide Analog Using a Cross-Bridged Cyclam Chelator. Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2007;48:64-72.
    
8. Jessica R. Newton, Yubin Miao, Susan L. Deutscher, Thomas P. Quinn. Melanoma imaging with pre-targeted bivalent bacteriophage. Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2007:48:429-436.
    
9. Lihui Wei, Yubin Miao, Fabio Gallazzi, Thomas P. Quinn, Michael J. Welch, Amy L. Vavere, Jason S. Lewis. Ga-68 labeled DOTA-rhenium cyclized ?-MSH Analog for imaging of malignant melanoma. Nuclear Medicine and Biology 2007;34:945-953.
    
10. Yubin Miao, Thomas P. Quinn. Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormona peptide-targeted melanoma imaging. Frontiers in Bioscience 2007;12:4514-4524.
     
11. Yubin Miao, Tiffani Shelton, Thomas P. Quinn. Therapeutic efficacy of a 177Lu labeled DOTA conjugated ?-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptide in a murine melanoma-bearing mouse model. Cancer Biotherapy & Radiopharmaceuticals 2007;22:333-341.
     
12. Yubin Miao, Fabio Gallazzi, Haixun Guo, Thomas P. Quinn. 111In-labeled lactam bridge-cyclized alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptide analogues for melanoma imaging. Bioconjugate Chemistry 2008; 19:539-547.
     
13. Yubin Miao, Said D. Figueroa, Darrell R. Fisher, Herbert A. Moore, Richard F. Testa, Timothy J. Hoffman, Thomas P. Quinn. 203Pb-labeled alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptide as an imaging probe for melanoma detection. Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2008; 49:823-829.
     
14. Yubin Miao, Thomas P. Quinn. Peptide-targeted radionuclide therapy for melanoma. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology 2008, doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2008.02.006.