Dr Raymond J. Ro, Lecturer of the School of Engineering, recently had his research paper published in the peer-review journalMolecular Imaging highlighting the breadth of molecular imaging research from basic science to preclinical studies to human applications. The journal is sponsored by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), with over 50 years history, is headquartered in Reston, Va., and has 13 state/regional chapters located throughout the United States and Canada.
This research work is an extension of Dr Ro’s doctoral research on the use of diagnostic ultrasound in detecting cancer. He continued to collaborate with his research team at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia, U.S.), one of the leading ultrasound clinical and research centers in the world. Dr Ro received his doctor degree in 2006 and has worked in this field for over ten years.( Dr Ro’s paper is available at http://molecularimaging.deckerpublishing.com/index.php/article/the-antiangiogenic-effects-of-a-vascular-endothelial-growth-factor-decoy-receptor-can-be-monitored-in-vivo-using-contrast-enhanced-ultrasound-imaging)
This research project was conducted showing the functional effects of VEGF Trap (a vascular endothelial growth factor decoy receptor), which is an anti-cancer (anti-angiogenic) drug, on tumor growth and vascularity can be monitored or screened in vivo using CEUS (contrast-enhanced ultrasonography) which was found to be a sensitive noninvasive method of evaluating tumor neovascularity in the DB-1 human melanoma xenograft model (a human tumor cell line implanted in nude mice) showing strong correlation between CEUS and histologic measures (histological section) of angiogenesis.
Dr Ro said, “The practical application of this work is that our technique can test anti-cancer drug efficacy, without the harmful effects of radiation of other imaging modalities (X-ray, CT), and without having to surgically remove the tumor for assessment. This would thereby have the best outcomes for patients with regard to health and recovery.”
The basis of Dr Ro and his colleagues’ research shows a connection between noninvasive ultrasound methods of cancer detection with standard invasive methods which indicates that ultrasound is quite effective at diagnosing tumors, and is not as costly as MRI, and does not emit radiation unlike CT and X-Ray process.
(More information about Dr Ro’s research is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041624X13001029)
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 four 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.
