Dr Raymond J. Ro, Lecturer of the School of Engineering, recently had his research paper published in the academic journal Ultrasonics. The pubisher, Elsevier, is the world’s leading provider of science and health information, reaching more than 30 million scientists, students and health and information professionals worldwide. Ultrasonics is the only internationally established and renowned peer-reviewed journal which covers the entire field of ultrasound research and technology and all its many applications.
This paper was based on Dr Ro’s doctoral research on the uses of diagnostic ultrasound in detecting cancer. Dr Ro has worked in this field for over ten years since starting research at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (U.S.), one of the leading ultrasound clinical and research centers in the world. (Find Dr Ro's paper at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041624X13001029)
In his paper, working with colleagues from Thomas Jefferson University (U.S.) and Columbia University (U.S.), a strong correlation was found between ultrasound contrast agent derived blood flow parameters and immunohistochemical makers of angiogenesis in murine xenograft tumor models, dependant on tumor type and implant location in a temporal analysis. In other words, his research has shown a connection between noninvasive ultrasound methods of cancer detection with standard invasive methods. This study may make contributions to screening anti-angiogenic (i.e., anti-cancer) drugs in the future.
With the development of the research, he found ultrasound is quite effective at diagnosing tumors, and is not as costly as MRI. Ultrasound is also easily accessible and does not emit radiation, unlike CT and X-Ray processes. As long as improvements can be made to the sensitivity of ultrasound for detecting smaller sized tumors (which he has shown), he and his team could make great strides forward towards the early detection and treatment of cancer, the question Ro and his colleagues have been focusing on for so many years.
Scientific research is about helping people, improving health and extending life. Practically speaking, Dr Ro advises: “It’s important to live a healthy lifestyle and go in annually for routine physicals and checkups.” He also quoted Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure” as a word of encouragement.
You can learn more about Dr Raymond J. Ro from his profile and other selected publications listed below.
Expertise Summary
Dr Raymond Ro, Lecturer of the School of Engineering, has worked at SBC for three years. Dr Ro earned his BA from Lake Forest College in Chicago, where he double majored in Physics and Biology. Thereafter, he earned a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University, which has been ranked in the category of Best National Universities in “America's Best Colleges” by the U.S News & World Report. The focus of his doctoral dissertation was using ultrasound technology for early cancer detection. Then Dr Ro earned a J.D. in Law from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is recognized as one of the world's top learning institutions in 2013, placing 31st in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Selected Publication
F. Forsberg, R. J. Ro, T. B. Fox, et al., “Contrast Enhanced Maximum Intensity Projection Ultrasound Imaging for Assessing Angiogenesis in Murine Glioma and Breast Tumor Models: A Comparative Study,” Ultrasonics, vol. 51, pp. 382-389, 2011.
F. Forsberg, R. J. Ro, J.B. Liu, et al., “Monitoring Angiogenesis in a Human Melanoma Xenograft Model using Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging,” Ultrasonic Imaging, vol. 28, pp. 237-246, 2009.
R. J. Ro, F. Forsberg, J.B. Liu, et al., “Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound for Monitoring the Effect of VEGF Trap on Melanoma Tumor Vascularity,” Proc. IEEE Ultrason. Symp., pp. 1977–1980, 2007.
F. Forsberg, J-B. Liu, W.T. Shi, R. J. Ro, et al., “In vivo Perfusion Estimation using Subharmonic Contrast Microbubble Signals,” Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 15-21, 2006.
M. A. Wheatley, F. Forsberg, K. Oum, R. J. Ro, et al., “Comparison of in vitro and in vivo Acoustic Response of a Novel 50:50 PLGA Contrast Agent,” Ultrasonics, vol. 44, pp. 360-367, 2006.
R. J. Ro, F. Forsberg, J-B. Liu, et al., “Monitoring Angiogenesis in Human Melanoma Xenografts using Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound,” Proc. IEEE 2nd Int’l Symp. on Biomedical Imaging, pp. 520-523, 2004.
F. Forsberg, R. J. Ro, M. Potoczek, et al., “Assessment of Angiogenesis: Implications for Ultrasound Imaging,” Ultrasonics, vol. 42, pp. 325-330, 2004.
R. J. Ro, F. Forsberg, D. A. Merton, et al., “A Human Melanoma Model Comparing Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound to Angiogenic Markers,” Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, vol.29, no. 5S, pp. S110, 2003.
