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. Caravaca J, Peter R, Yang J, Gunther C, Antonio Camara Serrano J, Nostrand C, Steri V, Seo Y. Comparison and calibration of dose delivered by137Cs and x-ray irradiators in mice. Phys Med Biol. 2022 Nov 18; 67(22).  View on PubMed
  2. Meher N, Ashley GW, Bidkar AP, Dhrona S, Fong C, Fontaine SD, Beckford Vera DR, Wilson DM, Seo Y, Santi DV, VanBrocklin HF, Flavell RR. Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Targeted Deep Tumor Penetration of Polymer Nanocarriers. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022 Nov 16; 14(45):50569-50582.  View on PubMed
  3. Tao W, Rohmer D, Gullberg GT, Seo Y, Huang Q. An Analytical Algorithm for Tensor Tomography From Projections Acquired About Three Axes. IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2022 11; 41(11):3454-3472.  View on PubMed
  4. Peter R, Sandmaier BM, Dion MP, Frost SHL, Santos EB, Kenoyer A, Hamlin DK, Wilbur DS, Stewart RD, Fisher DR, Vetter K, Seo Y, Miller BW. Small-scale (sub-organ and cellular level) alpha-particle dosimetry methods using an iQID digital autoradiography imaging system. Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 26; 12(1):17934.  View on PubMed
  5. Levi J, Duan H, Yaghoubi S, Packiasamy J, Huynh L, Lam T, Shaikh F, Behera D, Song H, Blecha J, Jivan S, Seo Y, VanBrocklin HF. Biodistribution of a Mitochondrial Metabolic Tracer, [18F]F-AraG, in Healthy Volunteers. Mol Imaging. 2022; 2022:3667417.  View on PubMed
  6. Seo Y, Craig MC, Murphy ST, Feng J, Chen X, Yuneva M. [18F]-(2S,4R)4-Fluoroglutamine PET Imaging of Glutamine Metabolism in Murine Models of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Mol Imaging. 2022; 2022:5185951.  View on PubMed
  7. Gandhi A, Tang R, Seo Y, Bhargava A. Organ-Specific Glucose Uptake: Does Sex Matter? Cells. 2022 07 16; 11(14).  View on PubMed
  8. Zhao N, Chopra S, Trepka K, Wang YH, Sakhamuri S, Hooshdaran N, Kim H, Zhou J, Lim SA, Leung KK, Egusa EA, Zhu J, Zhang L, Foye A, Sriram R, Chan E, Seo Y, Feng FY, Small EJ, Chou J, Wells JA, Aggarwal R, Evans MJ. CUB Domain-Containing Protein 1 (CDCP1) Is a Target for Radioligand Therapy in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, including PSMA Null Disease. Clin Cancer Res. 2022 07 15; 28(14):3066-3075.  View on PubMed
  9. Huh Y, Shrestha UM, Gullberg GT, Seo Y. Monte Carlo Simulation and Reconstruction: Assessment of Myocardial Perfusion Imaging of Tracer Dynamics With Cardiac Motion Due to Deformation and Respiration Using Gamma Camera With Continuous Acquisition. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022; 9:871967.  View on PubMed
  10. Polvoy I, Seo Y, Parker M, Stewart M, Siddiqua K, Manacsa HS, Ravanfar V, Blecha J, Hope TA, Vanbrocklin H, Flavell RR, Barry J, Hansen E, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Engel J, Rosenberg OS, Wilson DM, Ohliger MA. Imaging joint infections using D-methyl-11C-methionine PET/MRI: initial experience in humans. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2022 09; 49(11):3761-3771.  View on PubMed
  11. Chaudhari GR, Liu T, Chen TL, Joseph GB, Vella M, Lee YJ, Vu TH, Seo Y, Rauschecker AM, McCulloch CE, Sohn JH. Application of a Domain-specific BERT for Detection of Speech Recognition Errors in Radiology Reports. Radiol Artif Intell. 2022 Jul; 4(4):e210185.  View on PubMed
  12. Sohn JH, Chen Y, Lituiev D, Yang J, Ordovas K, Hadley D, Vu TH, Franc BL, Seo Y. Prediction of future healthcare expenses of patients from chest radiographs using deep learning: a pilot study. Sci Rep. 2022 05 18; 12(1):8344.  View on PubMed
  13. Srirangapatanam S, Kang M, Ellenikiotis Y, Jheon A, Kapila S, Swana HS, Stoller ML, Seo Y, Ho SP. Standardization of mineral density maps of physiologic and pathologic biominerals in humans using cone-beam CT and micro-CT scanners. Dent Mater. 2022 06; 38(6):989-1003.  View on PubMed
  14. Caravaca J, Huh Y, Gullberg GT, Seo Y. Compton and proximity imaging of 225Ac in vivo with a CZT gamma camera: a proof of principle with simulations. IEEE Trans Radiat Plasma Med Sci. 2022 Nov; 6(8):904-915.  View on PubMed
  15. 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 03 09; 13(1):1219.  View on PubMed
  16. 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 06; 35(3):605-612.  View on PubMed
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. Torkaman M, Yang J, Shi L, Wang R, Miller EJ, Sinusas AJ, Liu C, Gullberg GT, Seo Y. Data Management and Network Architecture Effect on Performance Variability in Direct Attenuation Correction via Deep Learning for Cardiac SPECT: A Feasibility Study. IEEE Trans Radiat Plasma Med Sci. 2022 Sep; 6(7):755-765.  View on PubMed
  20. 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

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