Faculty DirectoryThomas Meade
The Eileen M. Foell Professor of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Radiology
Director of the Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Contact
2170 Campus DriveSilverman Hall 2504
Evanston, IL 60208-2850
Email Thomas Meade
Website
Departments
Biography
At Northwestern University, I lead a multidisciplinary research program at the intersection of chemistry, molecular imaging, and translational medicine. As the Eileen M. Foell Professor of Cancer Research and Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence, I hold appointments in Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, and Radiology, and am the faculty director of The Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging (CAMI). The lab is divided into three sub-groups that focus on molecular imaging probes, electronic biosensors for proteins, and inhibitors of transcription factors. We are particularly interested in using coordination chemistry to create contrast agents that respond to enzymatic activity, redox status, gene expression, and other cellular signals. These imaging tools provide dynamic, noninvasive readouts of molecular events in vivo, enabling earlier detection, real-time monitoring, and more precise characterization of disease.
We maintain close collaborations with clinical and basic science investigators to translate new imaging strategies into meaningful diagnostic and therapeutic applications, especially in cancer and neuroscience. Beyond developing new probes, we are focused on understanding the mechanisms that govern probe distribution, uptake, and activation in biological environments. Our goal is to push the boundaries of molecular imaging to better understand disease at its earliest stages and to develop new tools for personalized medicine.
Research Interests
The Meade Lab research focuses on inorganic coordination chemistry for the study of molecular imaging of in vivo gene expression and intracellular messengers, transition metal enzyme inhibitors, and electronic biosensors. The design, synthesis and physical properties of transition metal and lanthanide coordination complexes are the foundation of our research.
Selected Publications
LM Lilley, K Du, MD Krzyaniak, G Parigi, C Luchinat, TD Harris and TJ Meade. "Effect of Magnetic Coupling on Water Proton Relaxivity in a Series of Transition Metal-Gd(III) Complexes" Inorg Chem (2018), 57(10), 5810-5819. PMCID: PMC6016852
Rotz MW, Holbrook RJ, MacRenaris KW, Meade TJ. "A Markedly Improved Synthetic Approach for the Preparation of Multifunctional Au-DNA Nanoparticle Conjugates Modified with Optical and MR Imaging Probes." Bioconjugate Chemistry, (2018), 29, 11, 3544-3549. PMCID: PMC6268127
Hanson, ED., Lilley LM., Cain JD., Shiqiang H., Palacios E., Aydin K., Wolverton C., Meade TJ., Dravid, VP., “Phase engineering and optical properties of 2D MoSe2: Promise and pitfalls.” Materials Chemistry and Physics, (2019), 225, 219-226.
Li H, Parigi G, Luchinat C, Meade TJ. “A Bimodal Fluorescence-Magnetic Resonance Contrast Agent for Apoptosis Imaging.” J. Am. Chem. Soc., (2019), 141 (15), 6224-6233 DOI: PMCID: PMC6939894.
Bajema EA, Roberts KF, Meade TJ, "Cobalt-Schiff Base Complexes: Preclinical Research and Potential Therapeutic Uses." Metal Ions in Life Sciences, (A. Sigel, E. Freisinger and R. Sigel, eds.) Vol. 19., Chapter 11, (2019), 4267-4301.
Iscen A, Brue CR, Roberts KF, Kim J, Schatz GC, Meade TJ. ”Inhibition of Amyloid-β Aggregation by Cobalt(III) Schiff Base Complexes: A Computational and Experimental Approach.” J. Am. Chem. Soc., (2019), 141, 16685-16695.
Moore LK, Caldwell MA, Townsend TR, MacRenaris KW, Moyle-Heyrman G, Rammohan N, Schonher EK, Burdette JE, Ho D, Meade TJ. “Water-Soluble Nanoconjugate for Enhanced Cellular Delivery of Receptor-Targeted Magnetic Resonance Contrast Agents.” Biocon. Chem., (2019), 30, 2947-2957. PMCID: PMC6868311.
Li H, Meade TJ. “Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Gd(III)-Based Contrast Agents: Challenges and Key Advances.” J. Am. Chem. Soc., (2019), 141, 43, 17025-17041. PMCID: PMC6821590.
Lilley LM, Kamper S, Caldwell M, Chia ZK, Mallweg D, Vistain L, Krimmel J, Mills TA, MacRenaris K, Lee P, Waters EA, Meade TJ. “Self Immolative Activation of β-Galactosidase-Responsive Probes for In Vivo MR Imaging in Mouse Models.” Angew Chem Int.Ed Engl., (2020), 59, 388-394. PMCID: PMC6923588.
Adams C., Krueger R., Meade TJ.,“A Multimodal Ca(II) Responsive Near IR-MR Contrast Agent Exhibiting High Cellular Uptake." ACS Chemical Biology, (2020), in press.
Adams C., Meade TJ., “Gd(III)-Pt(IV) Theranostic contrast agents for tandem MR imaging and chemotherapy.” Chemical Science, (2020), in press.
Bond, C. E., Olson, K. D., Punar, M., Friedman, L. B., Tang, J. H., Luo, M., Bailey, M. D., Holmgren, R. A., Meade, T. J., "Gli pathway-targeted Co(III) Schiff base complexes inhibit migration of basal cell carcinoma cells." RSC Advances, 2025, 15, 8572-8579
Kaster M. A., Caldwell M. A., Roach C. M., Bailey, M. D., Meade, T. J., "1H Parashift Probes for Ratiometric Detection of Nitroreductase." ACS Inorganic Chemistry, 2025
Brotherton, A. R., Phillips-Sorich, B., DomNwachukwu, N., Bailey, M. D., Patel, A. S., Parigi, G., Luchinat, C., Meade, T. J., "Gadolinium Conjugated Lipoic-Acid Hydrogels for Magnetic Resonance Imaging." ACS Applied Bio Materials, 2025, DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.5c00584
Kisel, A.; Luo, M.; Bailey, M. D.; Ghuman, H.; Rotz, M.; Campos, V.; Vieira, M.; Hitchens, K. T.; Meade, T. J., "Ultra-high resolution magnetic resonance microscopy of in situ gadolinium gold nanoparticles labeled cells in the rat brain" Modo, M. M. Chemical Science, 2025, DOI:10.1039/d5sc01588j
Nernekli, K., Mangarova, D.B., Daldrup-Link, H. E., Meade, T. J., "MRI detection of senescent cells in porcine knee joints with a β-galactosidase responsive Gd-chelate." npj Imaging, 2025, 3, 18
Luo, M., Bailey, M. D., Hyun, K., Lei, Y., Meade, T. J., "Alkaline Phosphatase-Targeted, Gadolinium-Labeled Nanoparticles for Enhanced Multimodal Imaging of Liver Cancer." ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2025, 17, 19, 28000–28011
Brotherton, A. R., DomNwachukwu, N., Bailey, M. D., Rivnay, J., Meade, T. J., "Disulfide Incorporated Pyridine and Pyridinium Push–Pull Dyes for Optical Sensing and Antifouling Electrodes." Langmuir, 2025, 41, 12, 8144–8151
Tang, J.-H., Luo, M., Tsao, W., Waters, E. A., Parigi, G., Luchinat, C., Meade, T. J., "MR Imaging Reveals Dynamic Aggregation of Multivalent Glycoconjugates in Aqueous Solution." Inorganic Chemistry, 2024, 63, 24662-24671
Brotherton, A. R., Mohamed S. N., Meade, T. J., "Synthesis and Relaxivity of Gadolinium-Based DOTAGA Conjugated 3-Phosphoglycerate." Dalton Transactions, 2024, 53, 17777 – 17782
Brotherton, A. R., Neupane, G. P., Ji, X., Sullivan, K., Bailey, M. D., Berns, E. J., Rivnay, J., Mrksich, M., Meade, T. J., "HaloTag-Modified, Ferrocene Labeled Self-Assembled Monolayers for Protein Sensing." Langmuir, 2024, 40, 22856-22864.
Mitrut, R. E., Stranford, D. M., DiBiase, B. N., Chan, J. M., Bailey, M. D., Luo, M., Harper, C. S., Meade, T. J., Wang, M., Leonard, J. N.,J Extracell Vesicles., "HaloTag display enables quantitative single-particle characterisation and functionalisation of engineered extracellular vesicles." 2024 Jul; 13(7): e12469-.
Kaster, M. A., Caldwell, M. A., Meade, T. J., "Development of Ln(III) Derivatives as 19F Parashift Probes." Inorganic Chemistry 2024, 63, 21, 9877–9887.
Daldrup-Link, H.E., Suryadevara, V., Tanyildizi, Y., Nernekli, K., Tang, J. -H., Meade, T. J., "Musculoskeletal imaging of senescence." Skeletal Radiology V53, 1879–1887, (2024)
Tang, J.-H.; Li, H.; Yuan, C.; Parigi, G.; Luchinat, C.; Meade, T. J., "Molecular Engineering of Self-Immolative Bioresponsive MR Probes." Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145, 10045-10050.
Kaster, M.; Levasseur, M.; Edwardson, T.; Caldwell, M.; Hofmann, D.; Licciardi, G.; Parigi, G.; Luchinat, C.; Hilvert, D.; Meade, TJ., "Engineered Non-Viral Protein Cages Modified for MR Imaging." ACS Applied Bio Materials, 2023, 6, 2, 591–602.