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

Verginadis II, Velalopoulou A, Kim MM, Kim K, Paraskevaidis I, Bell B, Oliaei Motlagh SA, Karaj A, Banerjee E, Finesso G, Assenmacher CA, Radaelli E, Lu J, Lin Y, Putt ME, Diffenderfer ES, Guha C, Qin L, Metz JM, Maity A, Cengel KA, Koumenis C, Busch TM.: FLASH proton reirradiation, with or without hypofractionation, mitigates chronic toxicity in the normal murine intestine, skin, and bone bioRxiv : 2024.

Yegya-Raman N, Berman AT, Ciunci CA, Friedes C, Berlin E, Iocolano M, Wang X, Lai C, Levin WP, Cengel KA, O'Reilly SE, Cohen RB, Aggarwal C, Marmarelis ME, Singh AP, Sun L, Bradley JD, Plastaras JP, Simone CB 2nd, Langer CJ, Feigenberg SJ.: Phase 2 Trial of Consolidation Pembrolizumab After Proton Reirradiation for Thoracic Recurrences of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 119 : 56-65,2024.

Chowdhury P, Velalopoulou A, Verginadis II, Morcos G, Loo PE, Kim MM, Motlagh SAO, Shoniyozov K, Diffenderfer ES, Ocampo EA, Putt M, Assenmacher CA, Radaelli E, Lu J, Qin L, Liu H, Leli NM, Girdhani S, Denef N, Vander Stappen F, Cengel KA, Busch TM, Metz JM, Dong L, Lin A, Koumenis C.: Proton FLASH radiotherapy ameliorates radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction and oral mucositis and increases survival in a mouse model of head and neck cancer Mol Cancer Ther 23 : 877-889,2024.

Yegya-Raman N, Friedes C, Lee SH, Iocolano M, Duan L, Wang X, Li B, Aggarwal C, Cohen RB, Su W, Doucette A, Levin WP, Cengel KA, DiBardino D, Teo BK, O'Reilly SE, Sun L, Bradley JD, Xiao Y, Langer CJ, Feigenberg SJ.: Pneumonitis Rates Before and After Adoption of Immunotherapy Consolidation in Patients With Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Concurrent Chemoradiation Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 118 : 1445-1454,2024.

Friedes C, Iocolano M, Lee SH, Li B, Duan L, Levin WP, Cengel KA, Sun LL, Aggarwal C, Marmarelis ME, Doucette A, Cohen RB, Xiao Y, Langer CJ, Bradley J, Feigenberg SJ, Yegya-Raman N.: Patterns of Failure, Low-Volume Relapse, and Subsequent Ablative Management in Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Definitive Chemoradiation and Consolidation Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 118 : 1435-1444,2024.

Kim K, Kim MM, Skoufos G, Diffenderfer ES, Motlagh SAO, Kokkorakis M, Koliaki I, Morcos G, Shoniyozov K, Griffin J, Hatzigeorgiou AG, Metz JM, Lin A, Feigenberg SJ, Cengel KA, Ky B, Koumenis C, Verginadis II.: FLASH Proton Radiation Therapy Mitigates Inflammatory and Fibrotic Pathways and Preserves Cardiac Function in a Preclinical Mouse Model of Radiation-Induced Heart Disease Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 119 : 1234-1247,2024.

Iocolano M, Yegya-Raman N, Friedes C, Wang X, Kegelman T, Lee SH, Duan L, Li B, Levin WP, Cengel KA, Konski A, Langer CJ, Cohen RB, Sun L, Aggarwal C, Doucette A, Xiao Y, Kevin Teo BK, O'Reilly S, Zou W, Bradley JD, Simone CB 2nd, Feigenberg SJ.: Acute hospitalizations after proton therapy versus intensity-modulated radiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the durvalumab era Cancer 130 : 2031-2041,2024.

Sourvanos D, Sun H, Zhu TC, Dimofte A, Byrd B, Busch TM, Cengel KA, Neiva R, Fiorellini JP.: Three-dimensional printing of the human lung pleural cavity model for PDT malignant mesothelioma Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther : 2024.

Sun H, Ong Y, Yang W, Sourvanos D, Dimofte A, Busch TM, Singhal S, Cengel KA, Zhu TC.: Clinical PDT dose dosimetry for pleural Photofrin-mediated photodynamic therapy J Biomed Opt : 2024.

Cengel KA, Kim MM, Diffenderfer ES, Busch TM.: FLASH Radiotherapy: What Can FLASH's Ultra High Dose Rate Offer to the Treatment of Patients With Sarcoma? Semin Radiat Oncol : 2024.

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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