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

Cengel, KA, Cramer, G, Busch, TM: Surgically Induced Inflammation Impairs Outcomes Following Intraoperative Photodynamic Therapy International Photodynamic Association World Congress, Tampere, Finland : 2023.

Simone CB 2nd, Yegya-Raman N, Manjunath S, Verma V, Shabason JE, Xu L, Cengel KA, Levin WP, Berman AT, Christodouleas JP, Aggarwal C, Cohen RB, Langer CJ, Pechet TT, Singhal S, Kucharczuk JC, Rengan R, Feigenberg SJ.: Prospective Feasibility and Phase 1/2 Trial of Preoperative Proton Beam Therapy With Concurrent Chemotherapy for Resectable Stage IIIA or Superior Sulcus Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys : 2023.

Natarajan J, Yegya-Raman N, Kegelman TP, Kallan MJ, Roshkovan L, Katz S, Ky B, Fradley M, Xiao Y, Lee SH, Zhang Z, Langer C, Aggarwal C, Cohen R, Cengel K, Levin W, Berman AT, Feigenberg SJ.: Cardiovascular Substructure Dose and Cardiac Events following Proton- and Photon-Based Chemoradiotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Adv Radiat Oncol 8 : 101235,2023.

Marmarelis ME, Wang X, Roshkovan L, Grady CB, Miura JT, Ginsberg MS, Ciunci CA, Egger J, Walker S, Cercek A, Foote MB, Litzky LA, Nash G, Haas AR, Karakousis GC, Cengel KA, Katz SI, Zauderer MG, Langer CJ, Offin M.: Clinical Outcomes Associated With Pembrolizumab Monotherapy Among Adults With Diffuse Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma JAMA Netw Open 6 : e232526,2023.

Yegya-Raman N, Kegelman TP, Ho Lee S, Kallan MJ, Kim KN, Natarajan J, Deek MP, Zou W, O'Reilly SE, Zhang Z, Levin W, Cengel K, Kao G, Cohen RB, Sun LL, Langer CJ, Aggarwal C, Singh AP, O'Quinn R, Ky B, Apte A, Deasy J, Xiao Y, Berman AT, Jabbour SK, Feigenberg SJ.: Death without progression as an endpoint to describe cardiac radiation effects in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer Clin Transl Radiat Oncol 39 : 100581,2023.

Sourvanos D, Sun H, Cengel KA, Fiorellini JP, Zhu TC.: PDT Light Fluence Phantom Modeling of the Human Pleural Cavity: A Proof-of-Concept Pre-Clinical Study Proc SPIE Int Soc Opt Eng : 2023.

Yegya-Raman N, Friedes C, Sun L, Iocolano M, Kim KN, Doucette A, Cohen RB, Robinson KW, Levin WP, Cengel KA, Lally B, Agarwal M, D'Avella CA, Marmarelis ME, Kosteva JA, Singh AP, Ciunci CA, Aggarwal C, Berman AT, Langer CJ, Feigenberg SJ.: Utilization and Factors Precluding Receipt of Checkpoint Inhibitor Consolidation for Stage III NSCLC in a Large US Academic Health System Clin Lung Cancer : 2023.

Kim KN, Heintz J, Yegya-Raman N, Cohen R, Kegelman T, Cengel K, Marmarelis M, Sun L, Langer C, Aggarwal C, Singh A, Singhal S, Kucharczuk J, Robinson K, Feigenberg S.: Toxicities and Deaths From Intercurrent Disease Following Contemporary Postoperative Radiotherapy in Resected Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Clin Lung Cancer : 2023.

Zou W, Kim H, Diffenderfer ES, Carlson DJ, Koch CJ, Xiao Y, Teo BK, Kim MM, Metz JM, Fan Y, Maity A, Koumenis C, Busch TM, Wiersma R, Cengel KA, Dong L.: A phenomenological model of proton FLASH oxygen depletion effects depending on tissue vasculature and oxygen supply Front Oncol 12 : 1004121,2022.

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.

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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