Education:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Missouri, 2009
• Ph.D., Inorganic Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, 2004
• M.A., Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, 1998
• B.S., Chemistry, Lindenwood University, 1996
• B.A., Spanish, Lindenwood University, 1996

Professional Experience:

• Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 2019-present
• Assistant Research Professor, Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 2011-2019
• Staff Scientist – Study Director/Principal Investigator (2009-2011), Chemist – Team Leader and Study Director/Principal Investigator (2011), Bioanalytical Services, ABC Laboratories, Inc., Columbia, MO, 2009-2011
• Life Sciences (2004-2006) and NIH/NCI (2006-2009) Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, University of Missouri, 2004-2009
• Adjunct Instructor, Department of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2004
• Staff Scientist, Division of Radiological Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 2000-2001

Honors and Awards:

• Fuldner Faculty Fellow, MU Department of Chemistry, 2022
• Fuldner Faculty Fellow, MU Department of Chemistry, 2021

Research Emphasis: 

The primary focus areas of the Hennkens research program are 1) the production and purification of medical radionuclides and 2) their use in the development of theranostic (combination therapeutic and diagnostic) metals-based radiopharmaceuticals.  Radionuclide production projects involve targetry, separations and target material recycling, while radiopharmaceutical projects involve ligand development, metal/radiometal chelation, and the radiochemical synthesis and in vitro/vivo evaluation of new radiopharmaceuticals.  The multidisciplinary nature of these projects results in a collaborative environment that offers a wide range of research experiences to student and postdoctoral trainees.

Full publication list available at this link.

Hoerres, R.; Hennkens, H. M.  1,4,7-Triazacyclononane-Based Chelators for the Complexation of [¹⁸⁶Re]Re- and [^99mTc]Tc-Tricarbonyl Cores. Inorg. Chem. 62(50), 20688-20698, 2023. doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c01934

Makris, G.; Li, Y.; Gallazzi, F.; Kuchuk, M.; Wang, J.; Lewis, M. R.; Jurisson, S. S.; Hennkens, H. M.  Evaluation of Re/^99mTc-Labeled Somatostatin Receptor-Targeting Peptide Complexes Synthesized via Direct Metal Cyclization. Radiochim. Acta 111(4), 291-300, 2023. doi.org/10.1515/ract-2022-0097

Blackadar, C.; Choi, K. G.; Embree, M. F.; Hennkens, H. M.; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, C.; Hancock, R. E. W.; Saatchi, K.; Häfeli, U. O.  SPECT/CT Imaging of ¹¹¹Ag for the Preclinical Evaluation of Silver-Based Antimicrobial Nanomedicines. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 14(23), 26382–26393, 2022. doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c03609

(Cover, ACS Editors' Choice) Matiz, C. A.; Delaney, S.; Cook, B. E.; Genady, A. R.; Hoerres, R.; Kuchuk, M.; Makris, G.; Valliant, J. F.; Sadeghi, S.; Lewis, J. S.; Hennkens, H. M.; Bryan, J. N.; Zeglis, B. M.  Pretargeted PET of Osteodestructive Lesions in Dogs. Mol. Pharmaceutics 19(9), 3153-3162, 2022. doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00220

Charles, A.; Khosrashahi, F. N.; Ma, L.; Munindradasa, C.; Hoerres, R.; Lydon, J. D.; Kelley, S. P.; Guthrie, J.; Rotsch, D.; Medvedev, D.; Cutler, C. S.; Li, Y.; Wilbur, D. S.; Hennkens, H. M.; Jurisson, S. S.  Evaluation of ¹⁸⁶WS₂ Target Material for Production of High Specific Activity ¹⁸⁶Re via Proton Irradiation: Separation, Radiolabeling and Recovery/Recycling. Radiochim. Acta 110(6-9), 739-749, 2022. Published within the special issue “Diamond Jubilee” to celebrate its 60^th year. doi.org/10.1515/ract-2021-1138

(NMB Editors' Choice) Ma, L.; Grant, C.; Gallazzi, F.; Watkinson, L. D.; Carmack, T. L.; Embree, M. F.; Smith, C. J.; Medvedev, D.; Cutler, C. S.; Li, Y.; Wilbur, D. S.; Hennkens, H. M.; Jurisson, S. S.  Development and Biodistribution Studies of ⁷⁷As-Labeled Trithiol RM2 Bioconjugates for Prostate Cancer: Comparison of [⁷⁷As]As-trithiol-(Ser)₂-RM2 vs. [⁷⁷As]As-trithiol-Glu-Ser-RM2. Nucl. Med. Biol. 108-109, 61-69, 2022. Published within the special issue “Women in Radiopharmaceutical / Radiochemical Sciences”. doi.org/10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2022.03.003

Kankanamalage, P. H. A.; Hoerres, R.; Ho, K-V.; Anderson, C. J.; Gallazzi, F.; Hennkens, H. M.  p-NCS-Bn-NODAGA as a Bifunctional Chelator for Radiolabeling with the ¹⁸⁶Re/^99mTc-Tricarbonyl Core: Radiochemistry with Model Complexes and a GRPR-Targeting Peptide. Nucl. Med. Biol. 108-109, 1-9, 2022. Published within the special issue “Women in Radiopharmaceutical / Radiochemical Sciences”. doi.org/10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2022.01.004

Olson, A. P.; Ma, L.; Feng, Y.; Khosrashahi, F. N.; Kelley, S. P.; Aluicio-Sarudy, E.; Barnhart; T. E.; Hennkens, H. M.; Ellison, P. A.; Jurisson, S. S.; Engle, J. W.  A Third Generation Potentially Bifunctional Trithiol Chelate, Its ^nat,1XXSb(III) Complex, and Selective Chelation of Radioantimony (¹¹⁹Sb) from Its Sn Target. Inorg. Chem. 60, 15223-15232, 2021. doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c01690

Shegani, A.; Ischyropoulou, M.; Roupa, I.; Kiritsis, C.; Makrypidi, K.; Papasavva, A.; Raptopoulou, C.; Psycharis, V.; Hennkens, H. M.; Pelecanou, M.; Papadopoulos, M. S.; Pirmettis, I.  Synthesis and Evaluation of New Mixed “2+1” Re, ^99mTc, and ¹⁸⁶Re Tricarbonyl Dithiocarbamate Complexes with Different Monodentate Ligands. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 47, 116373, 2021. doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116373

Okoye, N. C.; Phelps, T. E.; Charles, A.; McCormick, J. B.; Wycoff, D. E.; Lydon, J. D.; Embree, M. F.; Guthrie, J.; Kelley, S. P.; Barnes, C. L.; Ketring, A. R.; Hennkens, H. M.; Jurisson, S. S.  Recovery, Recycling and Re-irradiation of Enriched ¹⁰⁴Ru Metal Targets for Cost Effective Production of ¹⁰⁵Rh. Appl. Radiat. Isot. 176, 109847, 2021. doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2021.109847

Makris, G.; Shegani, A.; Kankanamalage, P. H. A.; Kuchuk, M.; Bandari, R. P.; Smith, C. J.; Hennkens, H. M.  Preclinical Evaluation of Novel ⁶⁴Cu-Labeled Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Receptor Bioconjugates for PET Imaging of Prostate Cancer. Bioconjugate Chem. 32(7), 1290-1297, 2021. Published within the special issue “State-of-the-Art of Radiometal-Based Bioconjugates for Molecular Imaging and Radiotherapy”. doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00656

Khosroshahi, F. N.; Feng, Y.; Ma, L.; Manring, S.; Rold, T. L.; Gallazzi, F. A.; Kelley, S. P.; Embree, M. F.; Hennkens, H. M.; Hoffman, T. J.; Jurisson, S. S.  A New, Second Generation Trithiol Bifunctional Chelate for ^72,77As: Trithiol(b)-(Ser)₂-RM2. Bioconjugate Chem. 32(7), 1364-1373, 2021. Published within the special issue “State-of-the-Art of Radiometal-Based Bioconjugates for Molecular Imaging and Radiotherapy”. doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00658

Wang, J.; Makris, G.; Kuchuk, M.; Radford, L.; Gallazzi, F.; Lewis, M. R.; Jurisson, S. S.; Hennkens, H. M.  Direct Labeling of a Somatostatin Receptor Antagonist via Peptide Cyclization with Re, ^99mTc and ¹⁸⁶Re Metal Centers: Radiochemistry and In Vitro Evaluation. Nucl. Med. Biol., 94-95, 46-52, 2021. doi.org/10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2020.12.007

Makris, G.; Bandari, R. P.; Kuchuk, M.; Jurisson, S. S.; Smith, C. J.; Hennkens, H. M.  Development and Preclinical Evaluation of ^99mTc- and ¹⁸⁶Re-Labeled NOTA and NODAGA Bioconjugates Demonstrating Matched Pair Targeting of GRPR-Expressing Tumors. Mol. Imaging Biol. 23(1), 52-61, 2021.  doi.org/10.1007/s11307-020-01537-1

(Invited) Okoye, N. C.; Baumeister, J.; Najafi F.; Hennkens, H. M.; Jurisson, S. S.  Chelators and Metal Complex Stability for Radiopharmaceutical Applications. Radiochim. Acta 107(9-11), 1087-1120, 2019. Published within the special issue "International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements 2019". doi.org/10.1515/ract-2018-3090

Makris, G.; Kuchuk, M.; Gallazzi, F.; Jurisson, S. S.; Smith, C. J.; Hennkens, H. M.  Somatostatin Receptor Targeting with Hydrophilic [^99mTc/¹⁸⁶Re]Tc/Re-Tricarbonyl NODAGA and NOTA Complexes. Nucl. Med. Biol. 71, 39-46, 2019. doi.org/10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2019.04.004

Radford, L. L.; Papagiannopoulou, D.; Gallazzi, F.; Berendzen, A.; Watkinson, L.; Carmack, T.; Lewis, M. R.; Jurisson, S. S.; Hennkens, H. M.  Synthesis and Evaluation of Re/^99mTc(I) Complexes Bearing a Somatostatin Receptor-Targeting Antagonist and Labeled via a Novel [N,S,O] Clickable Bifunctional Chelating Agent. Bioorg. Med. Chem., 27, 492-501, 2019. doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2018.12.028

Makris, G.; Radford, L. L.; Kuchuk, M.; Gallazzi, F.; Jurisson, S. S.; Smith, C. J.; Hennkens, H. M.  NOTA and NODAGA ^99mTc/¹⁸⁶Re-Tricarbonyl Complexes: Radiochemistry and First Example of a ^99mTc-NODAGA Somatostatin Receptor-Targeting Bioconjugate. Bioconjugate Chem. 29(12), 4040-4049, 2018. doi:10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00670

Black, K. C. L.; Zhou, M.; Sarder, P.; Kuchuk, M.; Al-Yasiri, A. Y; Gunsten, S. P.; Liang, K.; Hennkens, H. M.; Akers, W. J.; Laforest, R.; Brody, S. L.; Cutler, C. S.; Achilefu, S.  Dual-Radiolabeled Nanoparticle Probes for Depth-Independent In Vivo Imaging of Enzyme Activation. Proc. SPIE 10508, 1050805 1-5, 2018. doi: 10.1117/12.2301033