RESEARCH & PRACTICE
PAP/ACP3-Targeted Small-Molecule PET Tracers
Think through the work first, then use a sequence of small experiments to remove risks before a costly full experiment.
Take the lab from “0.5” to “1”
The group already had its major equipment, but lacked a complete set of consumables and procedures for everyday work. I filled in those practical conditions for organic synthesis. I used AI to work through unfamiliar topics step by step, from experimental principles and planning to data analysis. I then used papers, real-world constraints, and experimental results to decide which approaches would actually work.
Plan thoroughly before the full experiment
I developed a habit of thinking through the work, then testing it in small steps: before a full experiment, map the goal, sequence, dependencies, materials, timing, failure points, and decision criteria. With gallium-68's roughly 68-minute half-life, a useful experimental window of about four hours, and a biodistribution study costing about RMB 4,000 per run, I broke key conditions into a sequence of low-cost, small-scale MVPs. The aim was to remove as much risk as possible before committing resources to the full experiment.
Results and collaboration
I completed a first-author manuscript draft intended for submission to the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry; related results were expected to lead to two patent applications. My supervisor established the external hospital collaboration, and peers owned their respective work. I prepared and ran experiments and judged the results; I do not present the relationship or my peers' work as mine alone.
The manuscript was at the draft and planned-submission stage in this public copy, and the patent applications were expected rather than confirmed. The roughly four-hour window is useful experimental time, not the point at which radioactivity reaches zero.