Research Summary

The central aim of my lab’s research is to develop novel biomarkers to non-invasively measure oncogene activity in cancer to improve diagnosis and the assessment of drug pharmacodynamics. This is a highly interdisciplinary research program, and I recruit students and postdocs that generally have a specialized background (i.e. a strong training in organic chemistry or cell biology, but not both), and train them in the other areas required of a well round molecular imaging researcher. Our projects span all aspects of biomarker development, from discovery with “omic” technologies, to refinement of lead agents to improve bioactivity in vivo. The majority of our de novo radiotracer development focuses on small molecule organic chemistry, and our antibody radiotracer development programs involves new bioconjugation chemistry, and defining and exploiting the biological mechanisms that underwrite the aberrant expression of cell surface receptors in cancer.

Research Funding

  • June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2023 - Detection of the glucocorticoid receptor with PET in treatment resistant castration resistant prostate cancer, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program, Sponsor Award ID: W81XWH-20-1-0354
  • July 1, 2018 - March 31, 2022 - Development of a translational imaging tool as a predictive biomarker for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapies, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NIBIB, Sponsor Award ID: R01EB025207
  • October 15, 2018 - October 14, 2021 - Precision Targeting of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer with a Novel Ferrous IronDependent Therapeutic Delivery and Tumor Imaging Strategy, co-Principal Investigator. Sponsor: Prostate Cancer Research Program, Sponsor Award ID: W81XWH-18-1-0763
  • July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2021 - Development of a biomarker for imaging mTORC1 activity with PET, PI. Sponsor: American Cancer Society, Sponsor Award ID: 130635-RSG-17-005-01-CCE

Education

St. Mary’s College of Maryland, MD, BA, 2001, Chemistry
The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, PhD, 2007, Chemical Biology
Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Postdoctoral, 2013, Molecular Imaging, Cancer Biology

Honors & Awards

  • 2005
    1st Place Presentation, TSRI Faculty-Student Retreat
  • 2007-2010
    R25T Fellowship, National Institutes of Health (administered via MSKCC)
  • 2011-2012
    Research Grant, Brain Tumor Center, MSKCC
  • 2012
    Pathway to Independence Award, NCI
  • 2012-2014
    Research Grant, Imaging and Radiation Sciences Bridge Program, MSKCC
  • 2013
    Poster Award, World Molecular Imaging Congress, Savannah, GA
  • 2013
    David H. Koch Young Investigator Award, Prostate Cancer Foundation

Selected Publications

  1. Kalita M, Villanueva-Meyer J, Ohkawa Y, Kalyanaraman C, Chen K, Mohamed E, Parker MFL, Jacobson MP, Phillips JJ, Evans MJ, Wilson DM Synthesis and Screening of α-Xylosides in Human Glioblastoma Cells.  View on PubMed
  2. Wang S, Li J, Hua J, Su Y, Beckford Vera DR, Zhao W, Jayaraman M, Huynh TL, Zhao N, Wang YH, Huang Y, Qin F, Shen S, Gioeli D, Dreicer R, Sriram R, Egusa EA, Chou J, Feng FY, Aggarwal R, Evans MJ, Seo Y, Liu B, Flavell RR, He J Molecular imaging of prostate cancer targeting CD46 using immunoPET.  View on PubMed
  3. Zhao N, Huang Y, Wang YH, Muir RK, Chen YC, Hooshdaran N, Wei J, Viswanath P, Seo Y, Ruggero D, Renslo AR, Evans MJ Ferronostics: Measuring Tumoral Ferrous Iron with PET to Predict Sensitivity to Iron-Targeted Cancer Therapies.  View on PubMed
  4. Huang Y, Zhao N, Wang YH, Truillet C, Wei J, Parker MFL, Blecha JE, Drake CR, VanBrocklin HF, Ruiz DG, Jacobson MP, Aggarwal R, Behr SC, Flavell RR, Wilson DM, Seo Y, Evans MJ The synthesis and structural requirements for measuring glucocorticoid receptor expression in vivo with (±)-11C-YJH08 PET.  View on PubMed
  5. Wei J, Wang YH, Lee CY, Truillet C, Oh DY, Xu Y, Ruggero D, Flavell RR, VanBrocklin HF, Seo Y, Craik CS, Fong L, Wang CI, Evans MJ An Analysis of Isoclonal Antibody Formats Suggests a Role for Measuring PD-L1 with Low Molecular Weight PET Radiotracers.  View on PubMed
  6. Flavell RR, Evans MJ, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Yom SS Understanding Response to Immunotherapy Using Standard of Care and Experimental Imaging Approaches.  View on PubMed
  7. Moroz A, Wang YH, Sharib JM, Wei J, Zhao N, Huang Y, Chen Z, Martinko AJ, Zhuo J, Lim SA, Zhang LH, Seo Y, Carlin S, Leung KK, Collisson EA, Kirkwood KS, Wells JA, Evans MJ Theranostic Targeting of CUB Domain Containing Protein 1 (CDCP1) in Pancreatic Cancer.  View on PubMed
  8. Huang Y, Zhao N, Wang YH, Truillet C, Wei J, Blecha JE, VanBrocklin HF, Seo Y, Sayeed M, Feldman BJ, Aggarwal R, Behr SC, Shao H, Wilson DM, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Gestwicki JE, Evans MJ A Novel Radioligand Reveals Tissue Specific Pharmacological Modulation of Glucocorticoid Receptor Expression with Positron Emission Tomography.  View on PubMed
  9. Kalita M, Parker MFL, Luu JM, Stewart MN, Blecha JE, VanBrocklin HF, Evans MJ, Flavell RR, Rosenberg OS, Ohliger MA, Wilson DM Arabinofuranose-derived positron-emission tomography radiotracers for detection of pathogenic microorganisms.  View on PubMed
  10. Seo Y, Khalighi MM, Wangerin KA, Deller TW, Wang YH, Jivan S, Kohi MP, Aggarwal R, Flavell RR, Behr SC, Evans MJ Quantitative and Qualitative Improvement of Low-Count [68Ga]Citrate and [90Y]Microspheres PET Image Reconstructions Using Block Sequential Regularized Expectation Maximization Algorithm.  View on PubMed
  11. Wei J, Leung K, Truillet C, Ruggero D, Wells JA, Evans MJ Profiling the Surfaceome Identifies Therapeutic Targets for Cells with Hyperactive mTORC1 Signaling.  View on PubMed
  12. Wang S, Blaha C, Santos R, Huynh T, Hayes TR, Beckford-Vera DR, Blecha JE, Hong AS, Fogarty M, Hope TA, Raleigh DR, Wilson DM, Evans MJ, VanBrocklin HF, Ozawa T, Flavell RR Synthesis and Initial Biological Evaluation of Boron-Containing Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Ligands for Treatment of Prostate Cancer Using Boron Neutron Capture Therapy.  View on PubMed
  13. Muir RK, Zhao N, Wei J, Wang YH, Moroz A, Huang Y, Chen YC, Sriram R, Kurhanewicz J, Ruggero D, Renslo AR, Evans MJ Measuring Dynamic Changes in the Labile Iron Pool in Vivo with a Reactivity-Based Probe for Positron Emission Tomography.  View on PubMed
  14. Drake CR, Evans MJ, VanBrocklin HF Enzymatically Catalyzed Radiofluorination of Biomolecules.  View on PubMed
  15. Pai CS, Simons DM, Lu X, Evans M, Wei J, Wang YH, Chen M, Huang J, Park C, Chang A, Wang J, Westmoreland S, Beam C, Banach D, Bowley D, Dong F, Seagal J, Ritacco W, Richardson PL, Mitra S, Lynch G, Bousquet P, Mankovich J, Kingsbury G, Fong L Tumor-conditional anti-CTLA4 uncouples antitumor efficacy from immunotherapy-related toxicity.  View on PubMed
  16. Behr SC, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Li Y, Wang YH, Wei J, Moroz A, Lee JK, Hsiao JC, Gao KT, Ma W, Cha S, Wilson DM, Seo Y, Nelson SJ, Chang SM, Evans MJ Targeting iron metabolism in high-grade glioma with 68Ga-citrate PET/MR.  View on PubMed
  17. Moroz A, Lee CY, Wang YH, Hsiao JC, Sevillano N, Truillet C, Craik CS, Fong L, Wang CI, Evans MJ A Preclinical Assessment of 89Zr-atezolizumab Identifies a Requirement for Carrier Added Formulations Not Observed with 89Zr-C4.  View on PubMed
  18. Henry KE, Dacek MM, Dilling TR, Caen JD, Fox IL, Evans MJ, Lewis JS A PET Imaging Strategy for Interrogating Target Engagement and Oncogene Status in Pancreatic Cancer.  View on PubMed
  19. Lux F, Tran VL, Thomas E, Dufort S, Rossetti F, Martini M, Truillet C, Doussineau T, Bort G, Denat F, Boschetti F, Angelovski G, Detappe A, Crémillieux Y, Mignet N, Doan BT, Larrat B, Meriaux S, Barbier E, Roux S, Fries P, Müller A, Abadjian MC, Anderson C, Canet-Soulas E, Bouziotis P, Barberi-Heyob M, Frochot C, Verry C, Balosso J, Evans M, Sidi-Boumedine J, Janier M, Butterworth K, McMahon S, Prise K, Aloy MT, Ardail D, Rodriguez-Lafrasse C, Porcel E, Lacombe S, Berbeco R, Allouch A, Perfettini JL, Chargari C, Deutsch E, Le Duc G, Tillement O AGuIX® from bench to bedside-Transfer of an ultrasmall theranostic gadolinium-based nanoparticle to clinical medicine.  View on PubMed
  20. Afshar-Oromieh A, Debus N, Uhrig M, Hope TA, Evans MJ, Holland-Letz T, Giesel FL, Kopka K, Hadaschik B, Kratochwil C, Haberkorn U Impact of long-term androgen deprivation therapy on PSMA ligand PET/CT in patients with castration-sensitive prostate cancer.  View on PubMed

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