Wynn Volkert, PhD, an emeritus Distinguished Curators Professor of Radiology and Chemistry at the University of Missouri and MURR Research Scientist, was named the 2025 recipient of the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field. 

The award was announced at the annual conference of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), held June 21-24 in New Orleans. 

Throughout his career, Volkert was a leader in radiopharmaceutical development and is a co-inventor of two radiolabeled molecular entities that were developed into FDA-approved radiopharmaceuticals. Ceretec, a Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) brain imaging agent and the first drug of its kind, can cross the blood-brain barrier and is an important diagnostic tool in brain research and medical treatment. Quadramet, a Samerium-153 (Sm-153) therapeutic agent, is a radiopharmaceutical use for pain palliation in patients with metastatic bone lesions.

This is the second year in a row that a MURR researcher has received the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award — Carolyn Anderson, the Simón-Ellebracht Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and is Director of the Molecular Imaging and Theranostics Center and Associate Director of Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, received the award in 2024.