Kai Chen, PhD

Professor of Research Radiology, Radiation Oncology, and Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences

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Overview

Dr. Chen received a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Nankai University in China in 2001. He then moved to the United States where he performed his postdoctoral research in the Department of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. In 2005, Dr. Chen joined Siemens Healthcare USA, Inc. as a research scientist, where he led several projects spanning preclinical discovery to clinical investigation. He was promoted to Group Leader in 2006 and Project Manager in 2008. In the summer of 2009, Dr. Chen moved to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where he was part of the Intramural Research Program team of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). In 2010, Dr. Chen joined the USC as a faculty member.

The research interests in Dr. Chen’s laboratory focus on the development of novel theranostic agents for disease diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Chen has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles, and he is a co-inventor of 20 International and US patents. He has served as a reviewer for a number of funding agencies. Dr. Chen has also served as an active reviewer for over 70 research journals. In addition, he sits on the Editorial Board of 7 peer-reviewed international journals. Currently, Dr. Chen serves as President for the Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Council (RPSC) of Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).

Awards

  • USC Stevens Center for Innovation: Technology Commercialization Award, 2018
  • Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI): Center for Molecular Imaging Innovation and Translation (CMIIT) Young Investigator Award, 2013

Research Keywords

  • Molecular Imaging and Therapy, Theranostics, PET, Radiochemistry, Nanomedicine, Cancer, Neuroimaging

Publications

  • Recent Advances in Functional Chelators for PET and SPECT Imaging Probes. Curr Top Med Chem. 2026 Apr 23.. View in PubMed
  • Discovery of novel radioligand [18F]AZD9574 for selective imaging of PARP1 in the CNS. Acta Pharm Sin B. 2025 Oct; 15(10):5489-5490.. View in PubMed
  • Cellular Proliferation Imaging With 18 F-FMAU PET/CT as Adjunct to mpMRI in Image-Guided Biopsy of Suspected Prostate Cancer. Clin Nucl Med. 2025 Jun 01; 50(6):e340-e343.. View in PubMed
  • Effects of APOE4 on omega-3 brain metabolism across the lifespan. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2024 08; 35(8):745-757.. View in PubMed
  • Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of 22-[18F]Fluorodocosahexaenoic Acid as a Positron Emission Tomography Probe for Monitoring Brain Docosahexaenoic Acid Uptake Kinetics. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2023 12 20; 14(24):4409-4418.. View in PubMed
  • Hydroxyl-Rich Hydrophilic Endocytosis-Promoting Peptide with No Positive Charge. J Am Chem Soc. 2022 11 09; 144(44):20288-20297.. View in PubMed
  • Radiosynthesis of 20-[18F]fluoroarachidonic acid for PET-MR imaging: Biological evaluation in ApoE4-TR mice. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2022 11; 186:102510.. View in PubMed
  • Tracking Docetaxel-Induced Cellular Proliferation Changes in Prostate Tumor-Bearing Mice with 18F-FMAU PET. Acad Radiol. 2023 08; 30(8):1721-1726.. View in PubMed
  • Development of a novel radiofluorinated riboflavin probe for riboflavin receptor-targeting PET imaging. Pharmacol Res. 2022 09; 183:106395.. View in PubMed
  • Molecular Imaging of Tumor Microenvironment to Assess the Effects of Locoregional Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Hepatol Commun. 2022 04; 6(4):652-664.. View in PubMed