Description of Research Expertise

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
1. Defining Mechanisms and Reducing Toxicity from Normal Tissue Damage Caused by Ionizing Radiation: These projects center on modeling the physical patterns of dose deposition by x-rays, gamma rays and charged particles and determining the mechanism(s) that lead to normal tissue toxicity. From a greater understanding of these mechanisms, these projects seek to identify and formulate potential radiation protectors and mitigators for use in human medicine.

2. Cellular Signaling and PDT cytotoxicity: This project is focused on defining the molecular mechanism by which PDT-initiated growth factor and anti-oxidant signaling leads to decreased PDT-mediated cytotoxicity in human cancer cells and tumors.

3. Clinical trials of RT and PDT: These projects involve using insights gained from pre-clinical studies to design early phase interventional trials for patients with cancers that are difficult to treat using current standard modalities.

Selected Publications

Wang X, Katz S, Miura J, Karakousis G, Roshkovan L, Walker S, McNulty S, Ciunci C, Cengel K, Langer CJ, Marmarelis ME.: A single-center retrospective cohort study of perioperative systemic chemotherapy in diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma PLoS One 17 : e0275187,2022.

Sun H, Kim MM, Ong YH, Dimoft A, Singhal S, Busch TM, Cengel KA, Zhu TC.: Evaluation of Detector Position and Light Fluence Distribution Using an Infrared Navigation System during Pleural Photodynamic Therapy(1) Photochem Photobiol : 2022.

Zhong L, Yao L, Holdreith N, Yu W, Gui T, Miao Z, Elkaim Y, Li M, Gong Y, Pacifici M, Maity A, Busch TM, Joeng KS, Cengel K, Seale P, Tong W, Qin L.: Transient expansion and myofibroblast conversion of adipogenic lineage precursors mediate bone marrow repair after radiation JCI Insight 7 : e150323,2022.

Cramer GM, Cengel KA, Busch TM.: Forging Forward in Photodynamic Therapy Cancer Res 82 : 534-536,2022.

Luna JM, Barsky AR, Shinohara RT, Roshkovan L, Hershman M, Dreyfuss AD, Horng H, Lou C, Noël PB, Cengel KA, Katz S, Diffenderfer ES, Kontos D.: Radiomic Phenotypes for Improving Early Prediction of Survival in Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Adenocarcinoma after Chemoradiation Cancers (Basel) 14 : 700,2022.

Zhu TC, Sun H, Ong YH, Morales RH, Dimofte A, Busch T, Singhal S, Cengel KA.: Real-time PDT Dose Dosimetry for Pleural Photodynamic Therapy Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng : 2022.

Kim MM, Verginadis II, Goia D, Haertter A, Shoniyozov K, Zou W, Maity A, Busch TM, Metz JM, Cengel KA, Dong L, Koumenis C, Diffenderfer ES.: Comparison of FLASH Proton Entrance and the Spread-Out Bragg Peak Dose Regions in the Sparing of Mouse Intestinal Crypts and in a Pancreatic Tumor Model Cancers (Basel) 13 : 4244,2021.

Velalopoulou A, Karagounis IV, Cramer GM, Kim MM, Skoufos G, Goia D, Hagan S, Verginadis II, Shoniyozov K, Chiango J, Cerullo M, Varner K, Yao L, Qin L, Hatzigeorgiou AG, Minn AJ, Putt M, Lanza M, Assenmacher CA, Radaelli E, Huck J, Diffenderfer E, Dong L, Metz J, Koumenis C, Cengel KA, Maity A, Busch TM.: FLASH proton radiotherapy spares normal epithelial and mesenchymal tissues while preserving sarcoma response Cancer Res : 2021.

Carter S, Miller J, Cramer G, Yuan M, Guzman S, Putt ME, Cengel KA, Freedman GM, Busch TM.: Adjuvant Photodynamic Therapy, Mediated via Topical Versus Systemic Administration of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid for Control of Murine Mammary Tumor after Surgical Resection(†) Photochem Photobiol : 2021.

Lim TL, Pietrofesa RA, Arguiri E, Koumenis C, Feigenberg S, Simone CB 2nd, Rengan R, Cengel K, Levin WP, Christofidou-Solomidou M, Berman AT.: Phase II Trial of Flaxseed to Prevent Acute Complications After Chemoradiation for Lung Cancer J Altern Complement Med : 2021.

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Academic Contact Information

Smilow Center for Translational Research, Room 8-136
Univ of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
3400 Civic Center Blvd, Bldg 421
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-898-1035
Patient appointments: 800-789-7366