Research Summary

I received the MD, PhD combined degree from Boston University and Urology residency training at UC Davis. I was recruited to join the UCSF faculty as Assistant Professor after completed the fellowship and trained as a urologic oncology surgeon under Dr. Peter Carroll. My research project has already shown incredible potential to uncover novel molecular therapeutic targets for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. As a promising young surgeon-scientist, I was awarded the Department of Defense grant to interrogate the distinct ability of cancer cells to upregulate their stress response pathways upon oncogenic stress, chemotherapy and radiotherapy in order to evade cell death. I delineated the mechanisms underlying stress response pathways, in particular the unfolded protein response (UPR) and define their role in prostate tumorigenesis using genetic mouse models as well as in patient derived xenografts model of metastatic prostate cancer. My main research program was recently published in a high impact publication in Science Translational Medicine and resulted in a patent on the use of biomarker PTEN loss and high phospho eIF2α to identify lethal prostate cancer who may benefit from anti-eIF2α therapy. In 2016, I received the PCF young investigator award and the AUA Rising Star in Research award to develop patient derived xenograft (PDX) models to evaluate novel therapies for patients with neuroendocrine metastatic prostate cancer. In 2020, I received the 1 million-dollar PCF Challenge Grant to bring novel therapeutics for metastatic prostate cancer. I had published more than 50 journal articles and 4 book chapters. In addition to basic science, my clinical interest focuses on early detection of prostate cancer using advance imaging (PSMA PET/SPECT), novel biomarkers and MRI fusion biopsy in early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. In 2019, I was appointed Benioff-Goldberg Endowed Professorship in Cancer Biology and the recipient of the William R. Smart M.D Distinguished Teaching Award.

Education

University of California, Berkeley, BA, 06/1999, Molecular Cell Biology/Cell and Developmental Biology (Graduated with Honor)
Boston University School of Medicine, MD, PhD, 06/2007
University of California, Davis, 06/2013, Residency in General Surgery, Residency in Urologic Surgery
University of California, San Francisco, 06/2015, Society of Urologic Oncology Fellowship

Honors & Awards

  • 2011
    International Volunteer in Urology (IVU) resident scholar
  • 2011
    Third Place in Clinical Research Competition at 37th annual Northern California Urology Resident Seminar
  • 2013
    First Place in Basic Science Research Competition at 39th annual Northern California Urology Resident Seminar
  • 2016
    Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award 2016
  • 2017
    AUA Rising Stars in Urology Research Awards
  • 2018
    The Cancer League Young Investigator
  • 2019
    University of California, Davis Department of Urology Visiting Professorship
  • 2019
    Keynote Speaker Boston University School of Medicine MD-PhD program 2019 retreat
  • 2019
    Goldberg-Benioff Endowed Professorship in Cancer Biology
  • 2019
    William R. Smart M.D Distinguished Teaching Award

Selected Publications

  1. Nguyen HG, van den Berg NS, Antaris AL, Xue L, Greenberg S, Rosenthal JW, Muchnik A, Klaassen A, Simko JP, Dutta S, Sorger JM, Munster P, Carroll PR. First-in-human Evaluation of a Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen-targeted Near-infrared Fluorescent Small Molecule for Fluorescence-based Identification of Prostate Cancer in Patients with High-risk Prostate Cancer Undergoing Robotic-assisted Prostatectomy. Eur Urol Oncol. 2023 Jul 27.  View on PubMed
  2. Chappidi MR, Sjöström M, Greenland NY, Cowan JE, Baskin AS, Shee K, Simko JP, Chan E, Stohr BA, Washington SL, Nguyen HG, Quigley DA, Davicioni E, Feng FY, Carroll PR, Cooperberg MR. Transcriptomic Heterogeneity of Expansile Cribriform and Other Gleason Pattern 4 Prostate Cancer Subtypes. Eur Urol Oncol. 2023 Jul 18.  View on PubMed
  3. Lonergan PE, Baskin A, Greenberg SA, Mohamad O, Washington SL, Zhao S, Cowan JE, Broering JM, Nguyen HG, Cooperberg MR, Breyer BN, Carroll PR. The Long-term Incidence and Quality of Life Outcomes Associated With Treatment-Related Toxicities of External Beam Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer. Urology. 2023 Aug; 178:114-119.  View on PubMed
  4. Chang K, Greenberg SA, Cowan JE, Parker R, Shee K, Washington SL, Nguyen HG, Shinohara K, Carroll PR, Cooperberg MR. Stability of Prognostic Estimation Using the CAPRA Score Incorporating Imaging-based vs Physical Exam-based Staging. J Urol. 2023 Aug; 210(2):281-289.  View on PubMed
  5. Shee K, Cowan JE, Balakrishnan A, Escobar D, Chang K, Washington SL, Nguyen HG, Shinohara K, Cooperberg MR, Carroll PR. Limited Relevance of the Very Low Risk Prostate Cancer Classification in the Modern Era: Results from a Large Institutional Active Surveillance Cohort. Eur Urol. 2023 07; 84(1):9-12.  View on PubMed
  6. Szymaniak JA, Washington SL, Cowan JE, Cooperberg MR, Lonergan PE, Nguyen HG, Meng MV, Carroll PR. The natural history of a delayed detectable PSA after radical prostatectomy. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2023 Feb 10.  View on PubMed
  7. de la Calle CM, Shee K, Yang H, Lonergan PE, Nguyen HG. The endoplasmic reticulum stress response in prostate cancer. Nat Rev Urol. 2022 12; 19(12):708-726.  View on PubMed
  8. Shee K, Washington SL, Cowan JE, de la Calle CM, Baskin AS, Chappidi MR, Escobar D, Nguyen HG, Cooperberg MR, Carroll PR. Gleason Grade 1 Prostate Cancer Volume at Biopsy Is Associated With Upgrading but Not Adverse Pathology or Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy: Results From a Large Institutional Cohort. J Urol. 2022 Sep 06; 101097JU0000000000002956.  View on PubMed
  9. Chen HY, Bok RA, Cooperberg MR, Nguyen HG, Shinohara K, Westphalen AC, Wang ZJ, Ohliger MA, Gebrezgiabhier D, Carvajal L, Gordon JW, Larson PEZ, Aggarwal R, Kurhanewicz J, Vigneron DB. Improving multiparametric MR-transrectal ultrasound guided fusion prostate biopsies with hyperpolarized <sup>13</sup> C pyruvate metabolic imaging: A technical development study. Magn Reson Med. 2022 12; 88(6):2609-2620.  View on PubMed
  10. Baskin A, Charondo LB, Balakrishnan A, Cowan JE, Cooperberg MR, Carroll PR, Nguyen H, Shinohara K. Medium Term Outcomes of Focal Cryoablation for Intermediate and High Risk Prostate Cancer: MRI and PSA are Not Predictive of Residual or Recurrent Disease. Urol Oncol. 2022 10; 40(10):451.e15-451.e20.  View on PubMed
  11. Balakrishnan AS, Nguyen HG, Shinohara K, Carroll PR, Odisho AY. Patient engagement in a mobile health intervention to improve preparedness for prostate biopsy. Urol Oncol. 2022 09; 40(9):407.e1-407.e7.  View on PubMed
  12. Greenberg SA, Cowan JE, Lonergan PE, Washington SL, Nguyen HG, Zagoria RJ, Carroll PR. The effect of preoperative membranous urethral length on likelihood of postoperative urinary incontinence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2022 02; 25(2):344-350.  View on PubMed
  13. Shee K, de la Calle CM, Chang AJ, Wong AC, Feng FY, Gottschalk AR, Carroll PR, Nguyen HG. Addition of Enzalutamide to Leuprolide and Definitive Radiation Therapy Is Tolerable and Effective in High-Risk Localized or Regional Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer: Results From a Phase 2 Trial. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2022 Sep-Oct; 7(5):100941.  View on PubMed
  14. Melnyk JE, Steri V, Nguyen HG, Hwang YC, Gordan JD, Hann B, Feng FY, Shokat KM. Targeting a splicing-mediated drug resistance mechanism in prostate cancer by inhibiting transcriptional regulation by PKCβ1. Oncogene. 2022 03; 41(11):1536-1549.  View on PubMed
  15. Velarde N, Westphalen AC, Nguyen HG, Neuhaus J, Shinohara K, Simko JP, Larson PE, Magudia K. US lesion visibility predicts clinically significant upgrade of prostate cancer by systematic biopsy. Abdom Radiol (NY). 2022 03; 47(3):1133-1141.  View on PubMed
  16. Chappidi MR, Bell A, Cowan JE, Greenberg SA, Lonergan PE, Washington SL, Nguyen HG, Shinohara K, Cooperberg MR, Carroll PR. The Natural History of Untreated Biopsy Grade Group Progression and Delayed Definitive Treatment for Men on Active Surveillance for Early-Stage Prostate Cancer. J Urol. 2022 05; 207(5):1001-1009.  View on PubMed
  17. Hope TA, Eiber M, Armstrong WR, Juarez R, Murthy V, Lawhn-Heath C, Behr SC, Zhang L, Barbato F, Ceci F, Farolfi A, Schwarzenböck SM, Unterrainer M, Zacho HD, Nguyen HG, Cooperberg MR, Carroll PR, Reiter RE, Holden S, Herrmann K, Zhu S, Fendler WP, Czernin J, Calais J. Diagnostic Accuracy of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET for Pelvic Nodal Metastasis Detection Prior to Radical Prostatectomy and Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection: A Multicenter Prospective Phase 3 Imaging Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2021 Nov 01; 7(11):1635-1642.  View on PubMed
  18. Xu Y, Huangyang P, Wang Y, Xue L, Devericks E, Nguyen HG, Yu X, Oses-Prieto JA, Burlingame AL, Miglani S, Goodarzi H, Ruggero D. ERα is an RNA-binding protein sustaining tumor cell survival and drug resistance. Cell. 2021 09 30; 184(20):5215-5229.e17.  View on PubMed
  19. Lonergan PE, Cowan JE, Washington SL, Greenberg SA, Nguyen HG, Carroll PR. Natural history of an immediately detectable PSA following radical prostatectomy in a contemporary cohort. Prostate. 2021 09; 81(13):1009-1017.  View on PubMed
  20. de la Calle CM, Shee K, Chu CE, Cowan JE, Nguyen HG, Carroll PR. Association of Age With Risk of Adverse Pathological Findings in Men Undergoing Delayed Radical Prostatectomy Following Active Surveillance. Urology. 2021 09; 155:91-95.  View on PubMed

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