Skip to main content

Director Thomas Meade


Photo of Tom Meade in a chemistry labProfessor Meade is the Eileen M. Foell Professor of Cancer Research and Professor of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at Northwestern University. In collaboration with the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Professor Meade designed the Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging to perform transdisciplinary research from molecule to whole animal. He is the former President of the Society of Molecular Imaging and founder of Imaging in 2020, a biannual conference focusing on all aspects of imaging. His research focuses on the development of probes for MRI and optical imaging and he pioneered the area of conditionally activated MR agents.

Northwestern Scholars Profile

Meade Lab

Photograph of Meade lab membersThe Meade Lab is located in Silverman Hall as part of Northwestern University’s Chemistry of Life Processes Institute. Our research focuses on Inorganic coordination chemistry with applications for biological molecular imaging, new theranostics and electronic biosensors of DNA and proteins. The design, synthesis, and physical characterization of transition metal and lanthanide coordination complexes are an integral foundation of our research.

Featured Work

Selected Publications

  • Tang, J. H., Luo, M. R., Tsao, W., Waters, E. A., Parigi, G., Luchinat, C. and Meade, T. J. (2024). "Mr Imaging Reveals Dynamic Aggregation of Multivalent Glycoconjugates in Aqueous Solution." Inorganic Chemistry 63(52): 24662-24671. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c03878
  • Lilley, L. M., Kamper, S., Caldwell, M., Chia, Z. K., Ballweg, D., Vistain, L., Krimmel, J., Mills, T. A., MacRenaris, K., Lee, P., . . . Meade, T. J. (2020). "Self-Immolative Activation of Beta-Galactosidase-Responsive Probes for in Vivo Mr Imaging in Mouse Models." Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 59(1): 388-394. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201909933
  • Rammohan, N., Holbrook, R. J., Rotz, M. W., MacRenaris, K. W., Preslar, A. T., Carney, C. E., Reichova, V. and Meade, T. J. (2017). "Gd(Iii)-Gold Nanoconjugates Provide Remarkable Cell Labeling for High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging." Bioconjug Chem 28(1): 153-160. DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.6b00389
  • Verma, K. D., Massing, J. O., Kamper, S. G., Carney, C. E., MacRenaris, K. W., Basilion, J. P. and Meade, T. J. (2017). "Synthesis and Evaluation of Mr Probes for Targeted-Reporter Imaging." Chem Sci 8(8): 5764-5768. DOI: 10.1039/c7sc02217d