PhD
Our research explores methods to target cancer with new chemical entities. We are a synthetic chemistry laboratory, where the compounds that we design and prepare are useful for the molecular imaging or therapy of cancer tumours.
Dr. Len Luyt received his Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario in Chemistry and subsequently undertook a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He then led a research team as a Senior Medicinal Chemist with the pharmaceutical company Bayer-Schering.
Dr. Luyt joined Western University in 2005 as a faculty member with a joint appointment in the departments of Oncology, Chemistry and Medical Imaging. He has published 29 journal articles, 5 book chapters, greater than 70 conference abstracts, and has 8 patents granted or applied for. He was awarded the Early Researcher Award (ERA) from the Ministry of Research and Innovation and has held peer-reviewed grant funding from NSERC, CIHR, OICR, Prostate Cancer Canada and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
The research program of Dr. Luyt spans from basic chemistry activities, looking at novel methods of incorporating metal complexes into peptide structures, through to applied research, investigating new peptide therapeutics and molecular imaging agents for novel cancer targets. He collaborates closely with leading scientists in the areas of cancer biology and medical imaging. His lab also functions as a core facility at the Lawson Health Research Institute for peptide synthesis and for creating SPECT and PET molecular imaging agents.
