biography
Sophie Laurent studied at the University of Mons-Hainaut (UMH), Belgium, from which she was graduated with a Lic. Sci. Degree in chemistry in 1989. Sophie obtained PhD in 1993 from the same University where Sophie was successively appointed Assistant, Lecturer and associate Professor. Sophie joined the Prof R.N. Muller's team and was involved in the development (synthesis and physicochemical characterization) of contrast agents (paramagnetic lanthanide complexes and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Sophie is co-author of more than 230 publications in international journals such as Chemical Reviews and more than 400 abstracts in international conferences. Sophie collaborates actively with the center for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging (CMMI) in Gosselies, Belgium. In October 2016, it will be the head of General, Organic and Biomedical Chemistry department in the University of Mons and of the UMONS part of the CMMI.
Area of Interest
1.Development of new lanthanide complexes for MRI and optical imaging: synthesis, purification (HPLC) and physicochemical characterization (NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, relaxometry, luminescent studies).
2. Superparamagnetic nanoparticles synthesis, vectorization of nanosystems for targeting of different pathologies by active biological vectors (peptides determined by phage-display or synthetic organic mimetics)
3.Studies of interaction between contrast agents and biological receptors (by mass spectrometry, NMR, relaxometry, ultrafiltration, …)
4.Multimodal imaging studies in collaboration with the Center for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging of Gosselies (CMMI), Belgium