Research Summary

My research focuses on developing magnetic resonance imaging techniques and quantitative analyses to enable robust interpretation of MR measures to characterize anatomy, physiology, and pathology. I have been focused primarily on prostate cancer and on metabolic health. In the prostate cancer area, my lab has characterized MR signatures of the heterogeneous benign and cancerous tissues of the prostate through correlation of multiparametric MR imaging measures with histopathology of the prostate and have developed quantitative, multiparametric models to generate risk maps of cancer and of aggressive cancer in the prostate. We are currently leveraging these findings to facilitate characterizing the risk for men considering active surveillance of their prostate cancer. My lab has been automating our tools, integrating deep learning approaches when appropriate. Through this research, we are initiating translating these resources so they can be used clinically, empowering patients and their providers to improve healthcare.

Research Funding

  • September 1, 2018 - August 31, 2023 - Tissue-Specific Insulin Resistance in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Role of Hypoxia , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DK117953
  • July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2022 - MRI-Derived Risk Maps for Prediction of Prostate Cancer Progression , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: UC Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (UC TRDRP), Sponsor Award ID: 28IR-0060
  • July 20, 2017 - April 30, 2022 - Immunologic and Fat-Associated Predictors of Insulin Resistance in Treated HIV , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DK112304
  • April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2021 - Evaluation of HIV-associated Cardiac Dysfunction in Women , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01HL132794

Education

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, B.S.E., May 1991, Biomedical Eng & Electrical Eng, Psychology (minor)
University of CA, Berkeley and San Francisco, CA, Ph.D., March 1999, Bioengineering

Honors & Awards

  • 1991
    Graduated with General & Departmental Honors - The Johns Hopkins University
  • 1991-1994
    National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship
  • 2010
    2nd place poster award, Body Imaging, International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine & European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology, Stockholm, Sweden
  • 2014
    Founders' Day Award, Lincoln Elementary, Burlingame, CA; award for significant volunteer public service, given for nine years of providing and enhancing science education in a public elementary school

Selected Publications

  1. Gibbons M, Simko JP, Carroll PR, Noworolski SM. Prostate cancer lesion detection, volume quantification and high-grade cancer differentiation using cancer risk maps derived from multiparametric MRI with histopathology as the reference standard. Magn Reson Imaging. 2023 06; 99:48-57.  View on PubMed
  2. Duarte M, Tien P, Ma Y, Noworolski SM, Korn N, Price JC. Controlled attenuation parameter accurately detects liver steatosis in people with HIV. AIDS. 2022 12 01; 36(15):2147-2152.  View on PubMed
  3. Olson E, Suh JH, Schwarz JM, Noworolski SM, Jones GM, Barber JR, Erkin-Cakmak A, Mulligan K, Lustig RH, Mietus-Snyder M. Effects of Isocaloric Fructose Restriction on Ceramide Levels in Children with Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk: Relation to Hepatic De Novo Lipogenesis and Insulin Sensitivity. Nutrients. 2022 Mar 30; 14(7).  View on PubMed
  4. Gibbons M, Starobinets O, Simko JP, Kurhanewicz J, Carroll PR, Noworolski SM. Identification of prostate cancer using multiparametric MR imaging characteristics of prostate tissues referenced to whole mount histopathology. Magn Reson Imaging. 2022 01; 85:251-261.  View on PubMed
  5. Yasmin Bains, Ayca Erkin-Cakmak, Russell Caccavello, Kathleen Mulligan, Susan Noworolski, Jean-Marc Schwarz, Robert Lustig, Alejandro Gugliucci. Abstract 16511: Isocaloric Fructose Restriction Improves Postprandial Chylomicron and VLDL Excursions in Adolescents With Obesity by Reducing Angiopoietin-Like Protein 3 and Apolipoprotein CIII. Circulation. 2020 Nov 17; 142(Suppl_3).  View on PubMed
  6. A. Gugliucci, Y. Bains, R. Caccavello, M. Wen, A. Erkin-Cakmak, K. Mulligan, R. Lustig, S. Noworolski, J.M. Schwarz. Short-Term Isocaloric Fructose Restriction Improves Postprandial Lipoprotein Subclass Profiles. Atherosclerosis. 2019 Aug 1; 287:e59-e60.  View on PubMed
  7. Erkin-Cakmak A, Bains Y, Caccavello R, Noworolski SM, Schwarz JM, Mulligan K, Lustig RH, Gugliucci A. Isocaloric Fructose Restriction Reduces Serum d-Lactate Concentration in Children With Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019 07 01; 104(7):3003-3011.  View on PubMed
  8. Amita Shukla-Dave, Nancy A. Obuchowski, Thomas L. Chenevert, Sachin Jambawalikar, Lawrence H. Schwartz, Dariya Malyarenko, Wei Huang, Susan M. Noworolski, Robert J. Young, Mark S. Shiroishi, Harrison Kim, Catherine Coolens, Hendrik Laue, Caroline Chung, Mark Rosen, Michael Boss, Edward F. Jackson. Quantitative imaging biomarkers alliance (QIBA) recommendations for improved precision of DWI and DCE-MRI derived biomarkers in multicenter oncology trials. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2019 Jun 1; 49(7):i-i.  View on PubMed
  9. Muglia VF, Reis RB, Rocha TO, Silva AR, Noworolski S, Westphalen AC. Hypoenhancing prostate cancers on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI are associated with poor outcomes in high-risk patients: results of a hypothesis generating study. Abdom Radiol (NY). 2019 02; 44(2):723-731.  View on PubMed
  10. Behr SC, Aggarwal R, VanBrocklin HF, Flavell RR, Gao K, Small EJ, Blecha J, Jivan S, Hope TA, Simko JP, Kurhanewicz J, Noworolski SM, Korn NJ, De Los Santos R, Cooperberg MR, Carroll PR, Nguyen HG, Greene KL, Langton-Webster B, Berkman CE, Seo Y. Phase I Study of CTT1057, an 18F-Labeled Imaging Agent with Phosphoramidate Core Targeting Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen in Prostate Cancer. J Nucl Med. 2019 07; 60(7):910-916.  View on PubMed
  11. Shukla-Dave A, Obuchowski NA, Chenevert TL, Jambawalikar S, Schwartz LH, Malyarenko D, Huang W, Noworolski SM, Young RJ, Shiroishi MS, Kim H, Coolens C, Laue H, Chung C, Rosen M, Boss M, Jackson EF. Quantitative imaging biomarkers alliance (QIBA) recommendations for improved precision of DWI and DCE-MRI derived biomarkers in multicenter oncology trials. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2019 06; 49(7):e101-e121.  View on PubMed
  12. Lee JE, Diederich CJ, Bok R, Sriram R, Santos RD, Noworolski SM, Salgaonkar VA, Adams MS, Vigneron DB, Kurhanewicz J. Assessing high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment of prostate cancer with hyperpolarized 13 C dual-agent imaging of metabolism and perfusion. NMR Biomed. 2019 10; 32(10):e3962.  View on PubMed
  13. Chapman CH, Braunstein SE, Pouliot J, Noworolski SM, Weinberg V, Cunha A, Kurhanewicz J, Gottschalk AR, Roach MI, Hsu IC. Phase I study of dose escalation to dominant intraprostatic lesions using high-dose-rate brachytherapy. J Contemp Brachytherapy. 2018 Jun; 10(3):193-201.  View on PubMed
  14. Starobinets O, Simko JP, Kuchinsky K, Kornak J, Carroll PR, Greene KL, Kurhanewicz J, Noworolski SM. Characterization and stratification of prostate lesions based on comprehensive multiparametric MRI using detailed whole-mount histopathology as a reference standard. NMR Biomed. 2017 Dec; 30(12).  View on PubMed
  15. Price JC, Dodge JL, Ma Y, Scherzer R, Korn N, Tillinghast K, Peters MG, Noworolski S, Tien PC. Controlled attenuation parameter and magnetic resonance spectroscopy-measured liver steatosis are discordant in obese HIV-infected adults. AIDS. 2017 09 24; 31(15):2119-2125.  View on PubMed
  16. Schwarz JM, Noworolski SM, Erkin-Cakmak A, Korn NJ, Wen MJ, Tai VW, Jones GM, Palii SP, Velasco-Alin M, Pan K, Patterson BW, Gugliucci A, Lustig RH, Mulligan K. Effects of Dietary Fructose Restriction on Liver Fat, De Novo Lipogenesis, and Insulin Kinetics in Children With Obesity. Gastroenterology. 2017 09; 153(3):743-752.  View on PubMed
  17. Starobinets O, Kurhanewicz J, Noworolski SM. Improved multiparametric MRI discrimination between low-risk prostate cancer and benign tissues in a small cohort of 5α-reductase inhibitor treated individuals as compared with an untreated cohort. NMR Biomed. 2017 May; 30(5).  View on PubMed
  18. Price JC, Ma Y, Scherzer R, Korn N, Tillinghast K, Peters MG, Noworolski SM, Tien PC. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected and uninfected adults with non-genotype 3 hepatitis C virus have less hepatic steatosis than adults with neither infection. Hepatology. 2017 03; 65(3):853-863.  View on PubMed
  19. Kardashian A, Ma Y, Scherzer R, Price JC, Sarkar M, Korn N, Tillinghast K, Peters MG, Noworolski SM, Tien PC. Sex differences in the association of HIV infection with hepatic steatosis. AIDS. 2017 01 28; 31(3):365-373.  View on PubMed
  20. Choi JY, Yang J, Noworolski SM, Behr S, Chang AJ, Simko JP, Nguyen HG, Carroll PR, Kurhanewicz J, Seo Y. 18F Fluorocholine Dynamic Time-of-Flight PET/MR Imaging in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Intermediate- to High-Risk Prostate Cancer: Initial Clinical-Pathologic Comparisons. Radiology. 2017 Feb; 282(2):429-436.  View on PubMed

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