“Molecular and Functional Imaging in Translational Biomedical Research”
Shreya Goel, PhD
Assistant Professor,
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry,
University of Utah
Friday, September 2nd at 11:45 am
In-Person in SMBB 2650!
Molecular and functional imaging technologies emerged from the need to better understand the fundamental biological pathways inside the organisms in a noninvasive manner. Over the past two decades, concerted efforts towards development of a plethora of in vivo imaging technologies, coupled with our improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms of diseases, have fueled the rapid rise of molecular and functional imaging in both the laboratory and the clinic. By exploiting aberrant biology and specific targets on the diseased tissue, we combine our knowledge of multimodal molecular imaging and nano- bio-engineering approaches to develop tools and methodologies to better diagnose, stage, treat and monitor the disease. In this seminar, I will provide an overview of the application of imaging technologies across the broad spectrum of biomedical research with specific examples in four key foci: (i) multiparametric noninvasive imaging of the tumor microenvironment in disease progression and treatment response, (ii) improving disease diagnosis and therapy with enhanced specificity and sensitivity through the design of novel theranostic agents, and (iii) development of multiscale imaging tool-kit to visualize and quantify bio-transport of translational macromolecular therapies. Our overarching goal is to design tools and methodologies that will improve our understanding of the disease and eventually improve patient management by enabling effective diagnostic and therapeutic interventions at an earlier stage.
Shreya Goel, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics at the University of Utah, with adjunct appointments in Biomedical Engineering, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, and Huntsman Cancer Institute. She received her PhD degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison followed by postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Cancer Systems Imaging before joining the University of Utah in August 2021. She serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of Nanobiotechnology and Editorial Board Member for EJNMMI, Board Member of the CMIIT at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, and as ad hoc reviewer for > 30 journals, national and international funding agencies, and study sections. She has received numerous awards for her scientific accomplishments and scholarship, including the “SNMMI Ones to Watch for 2021” and 5 For the Fight Fellowship, most recently. Dr. Goel is developing a multidisciplinary imaging-focused research program spanning the fields of nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and nano- and bio-engineering, with the goal to refine the way we visualize, treat and manage cancer and other diseases. She has authored > 60 peer-reviewed articles (citations > 4500; h-index: 37) in journals such as Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Nano Letters, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Advanced Science, among others.
Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series
Bioengineering Elevated Talks: Celebrating 50 years of the Department of
Biomedical Engineering at the University of Utah