Gary Ulaner, MD, PhD

Clinical Professor of Radiology and Cancer Biology (Part Time)

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Overview

Dr. Gary Ulaner is the James & Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair of Molecular Imaging and Therapy (MIT) at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute and Professor of Radiology and Translational Genomics at the University of Southern California.

Gary has been the principal investigator of prospective clinical trials for six novel PET radiotracers for patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer and myeloma, funded by two National Institutes of Health R01s, as well as grants from the Department of Defense (DoD) Breast Cancer Research Programs, Susan G. Komen Foundation, and Rising Tide Foundation. His clinical trials emphasize targeted imaging to guide targeted therapy of cancer, particularly ER, HER2, PSMA and CD38 targeted PET imaging.

Gary in on the editorial board of 4 leading radiology journals, authored the text “Fundamentals of Oncologic PET/CT”, and is on the scientific advisory boards of ImaginAb, GE Healthcare, and the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance.

Gary currently lives in Irvine, California, with his wife, Alena, son, Ilya, and daughter, Anabel. He met his wife swing dancing, and they are still dancing today, albeit with less frequency.

Awards

  • National Institutes of Health Cancer Biology Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, 1994
  • National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Program, 1997
  • National Institutes of Health Post-Doctoral Fellowship, 2001
  • RSNA Roentgen Resident Research Award, 2005
  • Resident of the Year, University of Southern California, 2009
  • RSNA Excellence Award for Research, 2011
  • Susan Komen for the Cure Career Catalyst Award, 2012
  • Department of Defense Breakthrough Award, 2014
  • Radiographics Educational Design Award, 2015
  • Radiology Editor’s Recognition Award with Special Distinction, 2015
  • Radiology Editor’s Recognition Award with Special Distinction, 2016
  • Jon Shevell Young Scientist Scholarship, Susan Komen Foundation, 2016
  • SNMMI Best Breast Cancer Research Abstract, 2016
  • SNMMI first place prize in Basic Science, 2016
  • MSKCC Department of Radiology, Excellence in Teaching Award, 2016
  • Weill Cornell Department of Radiology, Best Teacher, 2016
  • Jon Shevell Award from the Susan Komen Foundation, 2017
  • Clinical Nuclear Medicine Editor’s Award, 2017
  • Elected Fellow, American College of Nuclear Medicine, 2017
  • First Hal O’Brien Rising Star Award, Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), 2018
  • American College of Nuclear Medicine – President’s Award, 2019
  • James and Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair, 2021

Education and Training

  • Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ — BA — 05/1993 — Biology
  • Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA — MD, PhD — 06/2000 — Cancer Biology
  • Johns Hopkins , Baltimore, MD — 06/2001 — Internship
  • University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA — 06/2009 — Diagnostic Radiology
  • University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA — 06/2009 — Nuclear Medicine

Research Funding

  • Molecular Pathogenesis and Therapy of Systemic Histiocytic Neoplasms
    NIH · R37CA259260 · Apr 1, 2021 – Mar 31, 2026 · Role: Co-Investigator
  • Improved staging of lobular breast cancer with novel amino acid metabolic and tumor neovasculature receptor imaging.
    NIH · R21CA256280 · Dec 9, 2020 – Nov 30, 2022 · Role: Co-Investigator
  • CD38-targeted immunoPET of myeloma: Phase 2 trial of clinical applications
    NIH · R01CA248398 · Jul 1, 2020 – Jan 31, 2024 · Role: Principal Investigator
  • The Clinical PET Imaging of Metastatic Breast Cancer with Site-Specifically Labeled 89Zr-Trastuzumab
    NIH · R01CA204167 · Apr 1, 2016 – Mar 31, 2021 · Role: Co-Investigator

Research Keywords

  • Molecular Imaging and Therapy
  • PET/CT
  • Estrogen Receptor-targeted imaging
  • PSMA-targeted imaging and therapy
  • HER2-targeted imaging
  • CD38-targeted imaging
  • Translational Genomics

Publications

  • Extramedullary Myeloma of the Uterus on 18F-FDG PET/CT: A Rare Manifestation of Multiple Myeloma. Clin Nucl Med. 2020 Nov; 45(11):873-875.. View in PubMed
  • Malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor of the ileum on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/ computed tomography with pathological correlation. World J Nucl Med. 2021 Apr-Jun; 20(2):208-210.. View in PubMed
  • 18F-FDG PET/CT versus anatomic imaging for evaluating disease extent and clinical trial eligibility in Erdheim-Chester disease: results from 50 patients in a registry study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2021 04; 48(4):1154-1165.. View in PubMed
  • Acute Aortic Dissection Initially Suspected on 18F-FDG PET/CT. Clin Nucl Med. 2020 Oct; 45(10):819-820.. View in PubMed
  • Clinical Utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT for Staging and Treatment Planning in Urachal Adenocarcinoma. J Nucl Med. 2021 05 10; 62(5):643-647.. View in PubMed
  • Mucinous urachal adenocarcinoma: A potential nonfluorodeoxyglucose-avid pitfall on 18fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography. World J Nucl Med. 2020 Oct-Dec; 19(4):432-434.. View in PubMed
  • Laboratory-Proven Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Infection on 18F-FDG PET/CT. Clin Nucl Med. 2020 Aug; 45(8):654-655.. View in PubMed
  • Accelerated single cell seeding in relapsed multiple myeloma. Nat Commun. 2020 07 17; 11(1):3617.. View in PubMed
  • Head-to-Head Evaluation of 18F-FES and 18F-FDG PET/CT in Metastatic Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer. J Nucl Med. 2021 03; 62(3):326-331.. View in PubMed
  • Defining the undetectable: The current landscape of minimal residual disease assessment in multiple myeloma and goals for future clarity. Blood Rev. 2021 03; 46:100732.. View in PubMed