Imaging scientist A. Dean Sherry, Ph.D., whose research on MRI molecular imaging agents has advanced our understanding of cancer, diabetes, and other diseases, has been appointed Professor Emeritus in the Advanced Imaging Research Center (AIRC).

Over 30-plus years as a UT Southwestern faculty member, Dr. Sherry has made major contributions in diverse fields. He was a founding member of the AIRC, a unique facility that fosters collaborative research in the imaging sciences where students from UTSW, UT Dallas, UT Arlington, and international postdoctoral programs are trained.

Now retired, Dr. Sherry joined UT Southwestern in 1990 as a Professor of Radiology, the same year he was recognized for his outstanding achievements in chemistry with the Doherty Award from the DFW Section of the American Chemical Society. He was recognized for his overall contributions to teaching and research in chemistry.

“I came to UT Southwestern because I wanted to apply my chemistry and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) skills and my interest in whole-body metabolism to disease models,” he said. “It was an opportunity to work with physicians, and it turned out to be a very productive time in my life.”

Over much of his career, Dr. Sherry served as a faculty member at two UT institutions. In 1972, he joined UT Dallas as a Professor of Chemistry, retiring from there this year as well.

Dr. Sherry’s research has led to a better understanding of metabolism in patients with cancer and diabetes, said Craig Malloy, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern.

“He is uniquely effective in translating basic research in chemistry to applications in patients,” said Dr. Malloy, a longtime collaborator with Dr. Sherry. These advances included development of new contrast agents for MRI, investigation of metabolism in patients with cancer or diabetes, and creation of new ways of detecting water interactions with biomolecules in clinical scanners.

In particular, Dr. Sherry has been active in the development of gadolinium complexes as MRI contrast agents since the 1980s. Gadolinium contrast agents are widely used in MRI scans to highlight highly perfused from poorly perfused tissues and, more recently, as indicators of biological function.

While leading the AIRC as its inaugural Director, Dr. Sherry helped further MRI research. AIRC researchers are world leaders in developing new MRI tracers that are used to reveal cancer, diabetes, and other diseases. They also map the brain and offer researchers and students a new understanding of the normal brain as well as the abnormalities of disorders such as autism.

The center, which brought together three UT System institutions – UT Southwestern, UT Dallas, and UT Arlington – is known for metabolism research using MRI tools, supercharging MRI imaging with hyperpolarization, and engineering molecules to find and attack cancers.

Dr. Sherry’s dedication to supporting undergraduates led him to initiate the Green Fellows program, which provides a single-semester fully paid undergraduate research fellowship for UT Dallas students. The program is offered jointly by the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and UT Dallas.

Since the program was introduced 18 years ago, 296 students have become Green Fellows, said Dr. Sherry, adding “it’s something I am very proud of.”

Dr. Sherry earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Wisconsin State University and his doctorate, also in chemistry, from Kansas State University.

Dr. Sherry said retirement will allow him more time for travel, golf, and spending time with his wife at their lake house on Lake Texoma – but he still plans to spend time at UT Southwestern.

“I love talking to students about their careers, and mentoring was always an important part of my job,” he said. “I hope I will now have more time for mentoring faculty and students.”