Cancer Imaging

Program Information

The Cancer Imaging Program is a transdisciplinary program that integrates imaging and engineering research with the study of cancer biology. The goals of this program are to build novel imaging technologies for discerning mechanisms of cancer biology, designing new targeted therapies, and developing innovative imaging modalities for improving patient care. Our research spans the spectrum, from fundamental biomarker identification for molecular imaging to development of new diagnostic and theranostic probes and image acquisition and data processing methods.

Program Aims

Develop targeted small molecules and nanoparticles to examine fundamental biology, facilitate diagnosis and treatment of cancer

By leveraging basic discoveries in cancer biology, our program creates novel targeted agents across all imaging modalities. Investigators utilize these agents to study the pathobiology, develop approaches for early diagnosis and image-guided therapeutic (theranostic) interventions of a broad range of diseases including prostate, breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, brain and liver tumors and melanoma. Many of these developments have proceeded into clinical trials.

Generate enabling quantitative technologies to transform cancer research, diagnosis and treatments

The CI program generates quantitative imaging methods, advances imaging hardware and develops computational tools and imaging analytics. A broad team of investigators across the center utilizes these technologies to improve clinical cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Members are also combining imaging and therapeutic approaches to develop novel tools for personalized medicine and therapy response evaluation. We further leverage our technology to inform clinical trials and advance clinical discoveries.

Create machine learning tools to improve cancer characterization, therapy, and to predict patient outcomes with imaging

Starting with radiomics, quantitative features (not obvious to human eyes) extracted from medical imaging of tumors are analyzed to train a model for tumor characterization, prognosis and treatment response. Parallel work on digital pathology further broadens the application of the technologies. These developments of imaging analytics are greatly enhanced through machine learning. 
 

Program Members

  • Abhinav Acharya

    Abhinav Acharya, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: axa1826@case.edu

  • Portrait of Mehdi Alilou wearing a dark button-up shirt

    Mehdi Alilou, PhD

    Research Assistant Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: mxa574@case.edu

  • Amanda Amin headshot

    Amanda Amin, MD

    Professor
    Surgical Oncology
    University Hospitals
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: amanda.amin@uhhospitals.org

  • Charlie Androjna headshot

    Caroline (Charlie) Androjna, PhD

    Assistant Staff
    Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: lachenl@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.409.6244

  • Norbert Avril, MD

    Norbert Avril, MD

    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    Division of Nuclear Medicine
    School of Medicine
    Research Scholar
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: norbert.avril@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.3363

  • Portrait of Chaitra Badve, MD

    Chaitra Badve, MD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    School of Medicine

    Email: chaitra.badve@UHhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.844.8140

  • James Basilion headshot

    James P. Basilion, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Co-Leader
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: james.basilion@case.edu

    Phone: 216.983.3264

  • Portrait of Susann Brady-Kalnay in a laboratory

    Susann M. Brady-Kalnay, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Neurosciences
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Pathology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: smb4@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.0330

  • Portrait of Samuel Chao wearing dark suit, white shirt and tie.

    Samuel T. Chao, MD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Medicine
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: chaos@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.7876

  • headshot of Yong Chen

    Yong Chen, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: yong.chen2@case.edu

  • Frank DiFilippo

    Frank DiFilippo, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: difilif@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.9378

  • Jennifer Dorths profile picture.

    Jennifer Dorth, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Radiation Oncology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: jennifer.dorth@UHhospitals.org

  • Judith Drazba

    Judith Drazba, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Cellular and Molecular Medicine
    Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: drazbaj@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.3760

  • Christine Duval

    Christine Duval

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: christine.duval@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.8613

  • Agata Exner headshot

    Agata A. Exner, PhD

    Vice Chair of Basic Research
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    Co-Leader
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Associate Director
    Medical Scientist Training Program
    School of Medicine
    Director
    CWRU Center for Imaging Research

    Email: agata.exner@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.6727

  • Portrait of Chris Flask

    Chris A. Flask, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    Pediatrics
    Biomedical Engineering
    School of Medicine
    Director
    Imaging Research Core
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: christopher.flask@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.4963

  • William Grissom

    William Grissom, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: wag57@case.edu

  • Mark Griswold, PhD

    Mark Griswold, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: mark.griswold@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.8085

  • Amit Gupta, MBBS

    Amit Gupta, MBBS, MD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: amit.gupta@UHhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.844.5330

  • Lauren Henke headshot

    Lauren E. Henke, MD, MS

    Associate Professor
    Radiation Oncology
    University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: lauren.henke@uhhospitals.org

  • James Jacobberger
    David Schwartz Photography

    James W. Jacobberger, PhD

    Professor Emeritus
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Consultant
    Cytometry and Microscopy Shared Resource
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: james.jacobberger@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.4645

  • Michael Jenkins

    Michael Jenkins, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: michael.jenkins@case.edu

  • Karathanasis

    Efstathios (Stathis) Karathanasis, PhD

    Associate Chair
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: efstathios.karathanasis@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.4617

  • Leonardo Kayat Bittencourt headshot

    Leonardo Kayat Bittencourt, MD, PhD

    Vice Chair of Innovation
    Department of Radiology
    UH Cleveland Medical Center
    Radiologist
    Abdominal Imaging
    UH Cleveland Medical Center
    Associate Professor
    Department of Radiology
    Case Western Reserve University
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: Leonardo.KayatBittencourt@UHhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.286.3249

  • Shlomo Koyfman

    Shlomo Koyfman, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Medicine
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: koyfmas@ccf.org

  • Portrait of Vijay Krishna

    Vijay Krishna, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Molecular Medicine
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: krishnv2@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.5966

  • Zhenghong Lee headshot

    Zhenghong Lee, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Associate Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    Co-Leader
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: zhenghong.lee@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.7920

  • Shuo Li headshot

    Shuo Li, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Associate Professor
    Computer Data Science
    Case School of Engineering
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: shuo.li11@case.edu

  • Zheng-Rong Lu, PhD

    Zheng-Rong Lu, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    M. Frank Rudy and Margaret Domiter Rudy Professor of Biomedical Engineering
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: zheng-rong.lu@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.0187

  • Lan Lu headshot

    Lan Lu, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Radiation Oncology
    Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: lul@ccf.org

  • Dan_Ma_Dec2021

    Dan Ma, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: dan.ma@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.5935

  • image of David B. Mansur

    David B. Mansur, MD

    Professor
    Department of Radiation Oncology
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Pediatrics
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: david.mansur@UHhospitals.org

  • Headshot of CWRU Professor Raymond Muzic

    Raymond F. Muzic, Jr., PhD

    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    Scientific Director
    Quantitative Imaging Laboratory
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: raymond.muzic@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.0727

  • Donna Plecha, MD

    Donna Plecha, MD, FSBI

    Chair
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Theodore J. Castele Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Pathology
    School of Medicine

    Email: donna.plecha@uhhospitals.org

    Phone: 216-983-4829

  • Portrait of Lee Ponsky

    Lee E. Ponsky, MD

    Professor
    Department of Urology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: lee.ponsky@UHhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.844.4831

  • andrew_rollins

    Andrew Rollins, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: andrew.rollins@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.1917

  • Portrait of Robert Salomon

    Robert G. Salomon, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Chemistry
    College of Arts and Sciences
    Professor
    Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: rgs@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.2592

  • Anirban Sen Gupta

    Anirban Sen Gupta, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: anirban.sengupta@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.4564

  • Faezeh Sodagari headshot

    Faezeh Sodagari, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Radiology
    University Hospitals
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: fsodagari@gmail.com

  • Image of headshot of Giuseppe Strangi

    Giuseppe Strangi , PhD

    Professor and Ohio Research Scholar in Surfaces of Advanced Materials
    Department of Physics
    College of Arts and Sciences
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: gxs284@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.6918

  • Jeffrey Sunshine, M.D., PhD

    Jeffrey Sunshine, MD, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Neurological Surgery
    School of Medicine
    Assistant Professor
    Department of Neurology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: jeffrey.sunshine@uhhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.844.8140

  • Portrait of Sidhartha Tavri

    Sidhartha Tavri, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Division of Interventional Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: Sidhartha.Tavri@UHhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.844.3363

  • Sree Harsha Tirumani, MD

    Sree Harsha Tirumani, MD

    Clinical Associate Professor
    Department of Radiology
    Case Western Reserve University
    School of Medicine
    Director
    Abdominal Imaging Fellowship
    UH Cleveland Medical Center
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: SreeHarsha.Tirumani@UHhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.844.8140

  • Satish Viswanath

    Satish Viswanath, PhD

    Associate Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Associate Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Associate Professor
    Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Co-Leader
    CCCC Machine Learning Working Group

    Email: satish.viswanath@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.3888

  • Image of headshot of Horst von Recum

    Horst A. von Recum, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: horst.vonrecum@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.5513

  • Ethan Walker, PhD

    Senior Research Associate
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: ethan.walker@case.edu

    Phone: 216.983.3256

  • Photo of Xinning Wang, PhD

    Xinning Wang, PhD

    Research Assistant Professor
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: xinning.wang@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.4848

  • Portrait of Yanming Wang

    Yanming Wang, PhD

    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Secondary Faculty
    Department of Chemistry
    College of Arts and Sciences
    Director
    Department of Radiopharmaceutical Division
    CWRU Center for Imaging Research
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: yanming.wang@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.3288

  • Portrait of Christopher Weight

    Christopher Weight, MD, PhD

    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: weightc@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.444.0351

  • Image of headshot of David Wilson

    David L. Wilson, PhD

    Robert J. Herbold Professor of Biomedical Engineering
    Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine
    Professor
    Department of Radiology
    School of Medicine
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: david.wilson@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.4099

  • headshot of Liangqi Xie

    Liangqi Xie, PhD

    Assistant Staff
    Cancer Biology
    Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic
    Member
    Cancer Imaging Program
    Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: xiel2@ccf.org