Current Research and Scholarly Interests
My curiosity is in visualizing the biological characteristics of malignant tumors using non-invasive imaging approaches such as PET and MRI. These imaging modalities enable imaging-guided treatment identifying the molecular signatures of cancer, thus individually tailoring treatment plans for patients. During my doctoral training, I developed a PET imaging approach to evaluate endocrine therapy responses in breast cancer. Since then, I have expanded my research interest to a variety of other solid cancers, including prostate cancer and bone sarcomas. My current research focuses on assessing immunotherapy response by visualizing tumor immune markers. The ultimate goals are to develop new PET and MR imaging probes and more effective immunotherapy approaches for image-guided cancer therapies. To achieve this, I am presently employing antibody and nanoparticle-based PET/MR imaging and therapeutic strategies to modulate immune functions and restore the suppressed immune response against cancer cells. I collaborate with interdisciplinary scientists focused on translating preclinical findings into clinical studies.
