Home |Resources | Faculty | Research | Education | Links

jkalen@hsc.vcu.edu

Joseph D. Kalen, Ph.D., MSHA
Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiation Sciences

Education
Undergraduate:
B.S. State University of New York at Brockport (Physics)
Graduate:
M.S. The Ohio State University (Physics)
MSHA Virginia Commonwealth University
Doctorate:
Ph.D. The Ohio State University (Physics)
Post-Doctorate:
The Ohio State University (Materials Science, Nuclear-Astro Physics)
Virginia Commonwealth University/ Medical College of Virginia (Medical Physics)

Honors:

Sigma Xi award in mathematics

Phi Kappa Phi honor society

Research Interests:

Positron Emission Mammography
X-ray mammography is currently the diagnostic modality of choice in detecting early breast cancer.  Whereas its usefulness is well documented, it is limited in its use in younger women where dense glandular tissue can obscure the tumors.   The specificity of mammography is low, with a large fraction of mammographic abnormalities being found to represent nonmalignant processes rather than cancer; thus biopsies are unnecessarily performed: 70% to 90% of patients will have a breast biopsy for a benign disease.  Compounding this problem is the possible delayed decision to biopsy a patient subsequently shown to have carcinoma of the breast, which increases the probability of axillary lymph node metastasis.

Metabolic imaging can improve the differentiation between tumor and normal tissue.  Glucose is the major energy source for all cells.  In case of malignant cells, glucose is metabolized primarily through the glycolytic pathway.  The increased metabolism associated with malignancy has been linked to an increase both in the amount of glucose membrane transporters and the activity of the principal enzymes controlling the glycolytic pathways.  The radiopharmaceutical (2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose) (FDG) is a radioactive tracer analog of glucose.  FDG enters the cell through membrane bound transporters and within the cell is phyphorylated to [¹⁸F]deoxyglucose-6-phosphate (FDG-6-P) by the enzyme hexokinase.   Due to the chemical structure of FDG-6-P, further chemical reactions are suppressed and therefore, FDG-6-P accumulates within the cell.  The radionuclide ¹⁸F component of the FDG produces gamma rays that are detected by a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner.  Due to the higher glucose metabolism of cancer cells with respect to normal cells, PET imaging can provide differentiation between normal and malignant tissues. Conventional whole body PET scanners are not suitable for breast imaging because of their limited spatial resolution (about 5 to 8 mm) and the required prolonged image acquisition (about 30 minutes).

A dedicated Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) device overcomes these limitations by offering improved spatial resolution (about 2-3 mm), higher sensitivity, and a rapid 5-minute acquisition.  Furthermore, because of its similarity to an x-ray mammographic system, it offers the possibility of direct image comparison whereby the advantages of both modalities can be combined to produce a more definitive diagnosis.

The design goals of the PEM device of high sensitivity and spatial resolution are obtained using small (3 x 3 x 15 mm³) pixilated LGSO crystals coupled to (25.4 x 25.4 x 25.4 mm³) position sensitive photomultiplier tubes.  The PEM system is constructed of two planar detectors operated in coincidence.  Each detector will be constructed of a 4 x 5 array of multianode position sensitive photomultipliers and a 34 x 42 array of 3 x 3 x 15 mm³ pixilated LGSO crystals, providing a 10 cm x 12.7 cm imaging area.

Our research objective is to evaluate a prototype PEM unit, facilitate design improvements, comparisons with a mammographic unit using suitable breast phantoms, and perform clinical translational studies.  The ultimate significance of this work is to explore the feasibility of PEM for (a) imaging the dense breast and, (b) detecting additional cancers that are not visible by conventional x-ray mammography.

Selected Bibliography
Smith M.F., Majewski S., Weisenberger A.G., Raylman R.R., Kieper D.A., Kalen J.D., Fatouros P.P.: Aspects of Three-Dimensional Imaging by Classical Tomography for Dual Detector Positron Emission Mammography (PEM). Manuscript sent to Publisher

Kalen J.D., Fratkin M.J., Jolles P.R.: Effect of NRC Regulatory Guide 8.39 “Release of Patients Administered Radioactive Materials” on Outpatient I-131 Therapy, Manuscript in preparation.

Kurdziel KA, Kalen JD: Optimal Imaging Time for Lung Tumors on Hybrid PET Systems, Manuscript in preparation.

Balbes M.J., Boyd R.N., Kalen J.D., Mitchell C.A., Henchek M, Surgarbaker E.R., Vandegriff J.D., Sanders D.A., and Lieberwirth S.D.: Evaluation of the WIPP Site for the Supernova Neutrino Burst Observatory, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 399: 269, 1997.                

Kalen J.D., Arthur J.H., Jolles P.R.: Effect of fan-beam focus misalignment on multi-head SPECT imaging. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology. 42: 314-315, 1996.

jihirsch@vcu.edu

Jerry I. Hirsch, Pharm.D., M.Sc.
Professor of Radiology and Pharmacy

Education
Undergraduate:
B.S. Brooklyn College of Pharmacy (Pharmacy)       
Graduate:
M.Sc. Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (Pharmacy)
Doctorate:
Pharm.D. Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (Pharmacy)
Residency:
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Post-Doctorate:
University of Southern California (Radiopharmacy)

Research Interests
Dr. Hirsch is Professor of Radiology (Nuclear Medicine) and Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University and has authored numerous papers, abstracts and presentations in the fields of radiopharmacy and nuclear medicine. He is a licensed pharmacy practitioner with special recognition in radiopharmacy. His radiopharmacy activities include the preparation of 'kit" based radiopharmaceuticals, PET and non-PET radiolabeled compounds, and quality control of these compounds. He was instrumental in obtaining CLIA approval for the Nuclear Medicine in vitro laboratory and serves as its technical supervisor. Dr. Hirsch has experience with the preparation and submission of IND applications. Additional experience extends to care and utilization of animals in experimentation.

Selected Bibliography
Baldwin NG, Rice CD, Tuttle TM, Bear HD, Hirsch JI, Merchant RE. Ex vivo expansion of tumor-draining lymph node cells using compounds which activate intracellular signal transduction. I. Characterization and in vivo anti-tumor activity of glioma-sensitized lymphocytes. J Neurooncol. 1997;32(1):19-28.

Sanyal AJ, Hirsch JI, Moore EW. Premicellar taurocholate enhances calcium uptake from all regions of rat small intestine. Gastroenterology.1994;106(4):866-74.

Culpepper RM, Hirsch JI, Fratkin MJ. Clearance of 131I by hemodialysis. Clin Nephrol. 1992;38(2):110-4.

Hirsch JI, Fuhs BE, Tatum JL, Tatum TG. Refillable point source for motion correction during first-pass radionuclide angiography. Nucl Med Commun. 1992;13(1):53-4.

 Rehr RB, Fuhs BE, Hirsch JI, Feher JJ. Effect of brief regional ischemia followed by reperfusion with or without superoxide dismutase and catalase administration on myocardial sarcoplasmic reticulum and contractile function. Am Heart J. 1991;122(5):1257-69.

Hirsch JI, Tatum JL, Fratkin MJ, Apostolides DL, Quint RI. Preparation and evaluation of a 99mTc-SnF2 colloid kit for leukocyte labeling. J Nucl Med 1989;30(7):1257-63.

kurdziel@hsc.vcu.edu

Karen A. Kurdziel, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Radiology
Division of Nuclear Medicine

Education
Undergraduate:
B.S. Ursinus College (Physics and Biology )
Doctorate:
M.D. Pennsylvania State University
Residency:
VCU/Medical College of Virginia Hospitals
1996-98:        Radiology
1998-99: Nuclear Medicine       
Fellowship:
Imaging Sciences Program, National Institutes of Health

Research Interests
During her two years in the Nuclear Medicine and PET departments at the NIH Clinical Center, Dr. Kurdziel played an integral part in the evaluation of anti-angiogenic therapies in advanced cancer using [¹⁸F]FDG, [¹⁵O]water and [¹¹C]CO PET, and dynamic MR. She gained extensive experience in analyzing dynamic PET data and in image fusion algorithms. Her work on the preliminary evaluation of [¹⁸F]paclitaxel (PAC) (a new radiotracer for evaluating multidrug resistance in vivo using PET) earned her a travel scholarship and an award for the Top Young Investigator Abstract Submission to the Academy of Molecular Imaging (AMI) conference in 2001. This early work established human dosimetry estimates and showed imaging evidence of successful blocking of the Pgp following the administration of an MDR modulator. For the analysis of the dynamic [¹⁸ F]PAC PET data, she developed several IDL (Interactive Data Language) applications. She has experience in programming in C, C++, JavaScript and web development.

Selected Bibliography
Kurdziel KA, and Gentili A. Annotated directory of Nuclear Medicine teaching sites on the world wide web. J Nucl Med. 1999; 40(5):323P.

Kurdziel KA, Jolles PR, Spottswood S, Fratkin M, Balkisoon A, Tatum JL NucsPro: a web-based, user friendly, interactive, surrogate Nuclear Medicine Professor J Nucl Med. 1999; 40(5):322-3P.

Eckelman WC, Tatum JL, Kurdziel KA, Croft BY. Quantitative analysis of tumor biochemistry using PET and SPECT. Nuclear Medicine & Biology 2000; 27:633-635.

Kontos MC, Kurdziel K, Ornato JP, Jesse RL, Tatum JL. A non-ischemic ECG does not always predict a small myocardial infarction: results using acute myocardial perfusion imaging. Am Heart J 2001;141: 360-366.

Kontos MC, Kurdziel KA, McQueen RH, Arrowood JA, Paulsen WHP, Jesse RL, Ornato JP, Tatum JL, Nixon JV. Comparability of myocardial perfusion imaging and echocardiography for identifying myocardial infarction in Emergency Department patients with chest pain. Am Heart J. 2002 Apr;143(4):659-67

Freedman NM, Sundaram SK, Kurdziel KA, Carrasquillo JA, Whatley M, Carson JM, Sellers D, Libutti SK, Yang JC, Bacharach SL. Comparison of SUV and Patlak slope to monitor cancer therapy using serial PET scans. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2003 Jan;30(1):46-53

Kurdziel KA, Bacharach SL, Carrasquillo JA, Huebsch S, Whatley M, Sellers D, Steinberg S, Libutti SK, Pluda J, Reed E, Dahut W, Figg WD. Using PET 18F-FDG, 11CO, and 15O-water for monitoring prostate cancer during a phase II anti-angiogenic drug trial with Thalidomide. Accepted, Molecular Imaging and Biology February 2003.

Kurdziel KA, Bacharach SL, Carrasquillo JA, Huebsch S, Whatley M, Sellers D, Steinberg S, Libutti SK, Pluda J, Reed E, Dahut W, Figg WD. Using PET 18F-FDG, 11CO, and 15O-water for monitoring prostate cancer during a phase II anti-angiogenic drug trial with Thalidomide. Molecular Imaging and Biology 2003;5:86-93

Kurdziel KA, Kiesewetter DO, Carson RE, Eckelman WC, Herscovitch P. Biodistribution, radiation dose estimated and Pgp modulation studies of [18F]-paclitaxel. J Nucl Med 2003;44:1330-1339

Welch MJ, Halpern H, Kurdziel KA..Example of imaging solutions to multi-disease biological challenge--imaging of hypoxia. Acad Radiol. 2003 Aug;10(8):887-90

Bacharach SL, Bax JJ, Case J, Delbeke D, Kurdziel KA, Martin WH, Patterson RE. PET myocardial glucose metabolism and perfusion imaging: Part 1-Guidelines for data acquisition and patient preparation. J Nucl Cardiol. 2003 Sep-Oct;10(5):543-56

Carson PL, Giger M, Welch MJ, Halpern H, Kurdziel K, Vannier M, Evelhoch JL, Gazelle GS, Seltzer SE, Judy P, Hendee WR, Bourland JD. Biomedical Imaging Research Opportunities Workshop: Report and Recommendations. Radiology. 2003 Nov;229(2):328-39

Kontos MC, Kurdziel KA, Ornato JP, Jesse RL, Tatum JL. Myocardial salvage in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction: results using technetium-99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion imaging. Am J Cardiol, 2005 Feb;95(3):398-401

Kristin L. Schmidt
Management Analyst / Program Coordinator
Department of Radiology

Education
B.A. University of Virginia (Environmental Sciences)

kschmidt@hsc.vcu.edu

Selected Bibliography
Kontos MC, Ornato JP, Schmidt KL, Tatum JL, Jesse RL. Incidence of high-risk acute coronary syndromes and eligibility for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors among patients admitted for possible myocardial ischemia. Am Heart J 143:70-5, 2002. 

Kontos MC, Kurdziel KA, Ornato JP, Schmidt KL, Jesse RL, Tatum JL. A nonischemic electrocardiogram does not always predict a small myocardial infarction: results with acute myocardial perfusion imaging. Am Heart J 141:360-6, 2001.

Kontos MC, Schmidt KL, Nicholson CS, Ornato JP, Jesse RL, Tatum JL. Myocardial perfusion imaging with technetium-99m sestamibi in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain. Ann Emerg Med 33:639-45, 1999.

Kontos MC, Jesse RL, Anderson FP, Schmidt KL, Ornato JP, Tatum JL. Comparison of myocardial perfusion imaging and cardiac troponin I in patients admitted to the emergency department with chest pain. Circulation 99:2073-8, 1999.

Kontos MC, Jesse RL, Schmidt KL, Ornato JP, Tatum JL. Value of acute rest sestamibi perfusion imaging for evaluation of patients admitted to the emergency department with chest pain. J Am Coll Cardiol 30:976-82, 1997.

Tatum JL, Jesse RL, Kontos MC, Nicholson CS, Schmidt KL, Roberts CS, Ornato JP. Comprehensive strategy for the evaluation and triage of the chest pain patient. Ann Emerg Med 29:116-25, 1997

jdwilson@vcu.edu

John D. Wilson, Ph.D.
Director of the Imaging Laboratory, Molecular Imaging Center
Associate Professor of Radiology

Education
Undergraduate:
B.S. Carleton College (Biology)
Masters:
M.S. University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (Physiology)       
Doctorate:
Ph.D. University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (Physiology)
Post-Doctoral Fellowship:
University of Texas at Austin (Physicochemical mechanisms of radiation injury)

Research Interests
Dr. Wilson has experience studying radiation effects in a variety of animal and cellular systems. His portfolio includes 26 papers, 2 chapters, and 35 abstracts and presentations. Recently he has participated in basic and clinical research projects involving assessment of digital breast imaging systems, providing support in the areas of study design and data analysis. Dr. Wilson currently serves on the Radiation Safety Committee and the Institutional Review Board at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is director of the Molecular Imaging Lab, which provides facilities and support for imaging research in animals.

Selected Bibliography
Kaver I, Koontz WW Jr., Wilson JD, Guice JM and Ware JL. The effect of radiation therapy and hyperthermia on a human prostatic carcinoma cell line grown in athymic nude mice. J Urol 145: 654-656, 1991.