Research Summary

I am a member of both Pediatric Malignancies and Prostate Cancer programs of the HDFCCC. I have extensive experience in quantitative data analysis, as well as instrumentation and software development using ionizing radiation imaging modalities (PET, SPECT, and CT), since I joined the UCSF Physics Research Laboratory (PRL), the birthplace of the dual-modality functional-anatomical imaging system (SPECT/CT and PET/CT). My broad training and expertise in experimental particle physics and medical imaging physics, combined with my leadership roles in extramurally funded projects, have proven a strong asset to many preclinical and clinical SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and PET/MRI projects. My particular research interest is, but not limited to, to develop technologies for combined dual-modality imaging systems to assess both structure and function in human diseases. I serve as a group leader for the UCSF PRL, and co-direct the preclinical SPECT/CT and PET/CT imaging research program at the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging.

Research Funding

  • January 21, 2022 - December 31, 2026 - [18F]F-AraG as an imaging biomarker for early diagnosis and monitoring of cardiotoxicity related to doxorubicin and immune check point inhibitor therapy , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01HL160688
  • April 1, 2021 - January 31, 2024 - Molecular imaging of CD46 , Interim PI and Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21EB029695
  • April 1, 2018 - December 31, 2021 - Energy-independent single photon molecular imaging technology , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01EB026331
  • May 1, 2017 - April 30, 2021 - Dynamic cardiac SPECT , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH/NHLBI, Sponsor Award ID: R01HL135490

Education

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, B.S., 1995, Physics
University of Alabama in Huntsville, M.S., 1997, Physics/Space Plasma
University of California, Irvine, 1998-1999, Physics/Medical Physics
University of California, Los Angeles, M.S., 2001, Physics
University of California, Los Angeles, Ph.D., 2002, Physics/Astroparticle Physics
University of California, Los Angeles, Post-doc, 2002-2003, Physics/Neutrino Physics
University of California, San Francisco, Post-doc, 2003-2006, Medical Imaging Physics

Honors & Awards

  • 1992-95
    Government Scholarship, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea
  • 2006-11
    Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award, National Cancer Institute
  • 2010
    Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation of the Year Award, Prostate Cancer Diagnosis North America
  • 2011
    Physicist of the Year Award, Korean Association of Medical Physicists in North America
  • 2016
    Distinguished Investigator Award, Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research
  • 2019
    Alexander R. Margulis Award for Scientific Excellence, Radiological Society of North America

Selected Publications

  1. Beckford-Vera DR, Flavell RR, Seo Y, Martinez-Ortiz E, Aslam M, Thanh C, Fehrman E, Pardons M, Kumar S, Deitchman AN, Ravanfar V, Schulte B, Wu IK, Pan T, Reeves JD, Nixon CC, Iyer NS, Torres L, Munter SE, Hyunh T, Petropoulos CJ, Hoh R, Franc BL, Gama L, Koup RA, Mascola JR, Chomont N, Deeks SG, VanBrocklin HF, Henrich TJ. First-in-human immunoPET imaging of HIV-1 infection using 89Zr-labeled VRC01 broadly neutralizing antibody. Nat Commun. 2022 Mar 09; 13(1):1219.  View on PubMed
  2. Liu G, Poon M, Zapala MA, Temple WC, Vo KT, Matthay KK, Mitra D, Seo Y. Incorporating Radiomics into Machine Learning Models to Predict Outcomes of Neuroblastoma. J Digit Imaging. 2022 Mar 02.  View on PubMed
  3. Chaudhari GR, Chillakuru YR, Chen TL, Pedoia V, Vu TH, Hess CP, Seo Y, Sohn JH. Clinical language search algorithm from free-text: facilitating appropriate imaging. BMC Med Imaging. 2022 02 04; 22(1):18.  View on PubMed
  4. Lawhn-Heath C, Hope TA, Martinez J, Fung EK, Shin J, Seo Y, Flavell RR. Dosimetry in radionuclide therapy: the clinical role of measuring radiation dose. Lancet Oncol. 2022 02; 23(2):e75-e87.  View on PubMed
  5. Wang B, Ustriyana P, Tam CS, Lin JD, Srirangapatanam S, Kapila Y, Ryder MI, Webb S, Seo Y, Ho SP. Functional Adaptation of LPS-affected Dentoalveolar Fibrous Joints in Rats. J Periodontal Res. 2022 Jan; 57(1):131-141.  View on PubMed
  6. Gullberg GT, Shrestha U, Kim SJW, Seo Y, Fuller M. X-ray bi-prism interferometry-A design study of proposed novel hardware. Med Phys. 2021 Oct; 48(10):6508-6523.  View on PubMed
  7. Paulo E, Zhang Y, Masand R, Huynh TL, Seo Y, Swaney DL, Soucheray M, Stevenson E, Jimenez-Morales D, Krogan NJ, Wang B. Brown adipocyte ATF4 activation improves thermoregulation and systemic metabolism. Cell Rep. 2021 09 21; 36(12):109742.  View on PubMed
  8. Tao W, Sung Y, Kim SJW, Huang Q, Gullberg GT, Seo Y, Fuller M. Tomography of dark-field scatter including single-exposure Moiré fringe analysis with X-ray biprism interferometry-A simulation study. Med Phys. 2021 Oct; 48(10):6293-6311.  View on PubMed
  9. Chillakuru YR, Munjal S, Laguna B, Chen TL, Chaudhari GR, Vu T, Seo Y, Narvid J, Sohn JH. Development and web deployment of an automated neuroradiology MRI protocoling tool with natural language processing. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2021 07 12; 21(1):213.  View on PubMed
  10. Pearson TS, Gupta N, San Sebastian W, Imamura-Ching J, Viehoever A, Grijalvo-Perez A, Fay AJ, Seth N, Lundy SM, Seo Y, Pampaloni M, Hyland K, Smith E, de Oliveira Barbosa G, Heathcock JC, Minnema A, Lonser R, Elder JB, Leonard J, Larson P, Bankiewicz KS. Gene therapy for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency by MR-guided direct delivery of AAV2-AADC to midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Nat Commun. 2021 07 12; 12(1):4251.  View on PubMed
  11. Shah V, Chillakuru YR, Rybkin A, Seo Y, Vu T, Sohn JH. Algorithmic Prediction of Delayed Radiology Turn-Around-Time during Non-Business Hours. Acad Radiol. 2021 Jun 27.  View on PubMed
  12. Gullberg GT, Shrestha UM, Veress AI, Segars WP, Liu J, Ordovas K, Seo Y. Novel Methodology for Measuring Regional Myocardial Efficiency. IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2021 06; 40(6):1711-1725.  View on PubMed
  13. Liu G, Mitra D, Jones EF, Franc BL, Behr SC, Nguyen A, Bolouri MS, Wisner DJ, Joe BN, Esserman LJ, Hylton NM, Seo Y. Mask-Guided Convolutional Neural Network for Breast Tumor Prognostic Outcome Prediction on 3D DCE-MR Images. J Digit Imaging. 2021 06; 34(3):630-636.  View on PubMed
  14. Chillakuru YR, Kranen K, Doppalapudi V, Xiong Z, Fu L, Heydari A, Sheth A, Seo Y, Vu T, Sohn JH. High precision localization of pulmonary nodules on chest CT utilizing axial slice number labels. BMC Med Imaging. 2021 04 09; 21(1):66.  View on PubMed
  15. Huh Y, Yang J, Dim OU, Cui Y, Tao W, Huang Q, Gullberg GT, Seo Y. Evaluation of a variable-aperture full-ring SPECT system using large-area pixelated CZT modules: A simulation study for brain SPECT applications. Med Phys. 2021 May; 48(5):2301-2314.  View on PubMed
  16. Yang J, Shi L, Wang R, Miller EJ, Sinusas AJ, Liu C, Gullberg GT, Seo Y. Direct Attenuation Correction Using Deep Learning for Cardiac SPECT: A Feasibility Study. J Nucl Med. 2021 11; 62(11):1645-1652.  View on PubMed
  17. Torkaman M, Yang J, Shi L, Wang R, Miller EJ, Sinusas AJ, Liu C, Gullberg GT, Seo Y. Direct Image-Based Attenuation Correction using Conditional Generative Adversarial Network for SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging. Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng. 2021 Feb; 11600.  View on PubMed
  18. Lee M, Ryu M, Joo M, Seo YJ, Lee J, Kim HM, Shin E, Yeom JH, Kim YH, Bae J, Lee K. Endoribonuclease-mediated control of hns mRNA stability constitutes a key regulatory pathway for Salmonella Typhimurium pathogenicity island 1 expression. PLoS Pathog. 2021 02; 17(2):e1009263.  View on PubMed
  19. Sohn JH, Behr SC, Hernandez Pampaloni M, Seo Y. Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Ischemia With Positron Emission Tomography. J Thorac Imaging. 2021 Jan 22.  View on PubMed
  20. Kim DI, Cho YB, Lim Y, Hong SH, Hahm B, Lee SM, Kang SC, Seo YJ. Chios mastic gum inhibits influenza A virus replication and viral pathogenicity. J Gen Virol. 2021 03; 102(3).  View on PubMed

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