Ralph Mason, Ph.D.

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Dr. Mason is Director of the Cancer Imaging Program at UT Southwestern with over 30 year's experience in cancer imaging, therapy, and tumor pathophysiology. He is Professor of Radiology and member of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. He serves on faculty of graduate programs in Biomedical Engineering and Cancer Biology. Dr. Mason and his research team have been supported for many years by NCI, DOD breast and prostate cancer initiatives, CPRIT, various foundations including The American Cancer Society, The Whitaker Foundation, and The Mary Kay Ash Foundation and most recently NHBLI. Dr. Mason’s primary research interest is prognostic radiology- developing and implementing methods for predicting optimal cancer therapy and assessing early response to treatment. Recent investigations focussed on development of oxygen sensitive MRI in pre-clinical breast, prostate and lung cancer as well as translation to human lung and prostate cancer. Dr. Mason is a recognized expert in the development of novel MR and optical reporter starategies with notable innovations in 19F NMR. Recent pre-clinical innovations include dynamic bioluminescent imaging related to vascular disputing agents and in vivo chemiluminescent imaging. Ongoing projects focus on novel vascular disrupting agents  and assessment of pathophysiology of tumor response to therapy, particularly with respect to kidney cancer.

Undergraduate

University of Cambridge (1983), Natural Sciences

Graduate School

University of Cambridge (1986), Organic Chemistry

• Application of imaging methods to tumor development and response to therapy; development of NMR reporter molecules as probes of physiology and gene transfection; detoxification of xenobiotica; MR miscroscopy and tissue microstructure.
• Bioluminescent imaging
• gene therapy
• NMR- MRI
• Oxygen/ Hypoxia

Featured Publications

Oxygen-Sensitive MRI: A Predictive Imaging Biomarker for Tumor Radiation Response?

Arai TJ, Yang DM, Campbell JW, Chiu T, Cheng X, Stojadinovic S, Peschke P, Mason RP, Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2021 Mar

Preclinical Applications of Multi-Platform Imaging in Animal Models of Cancer.

Serkova NJ, Glunde K, Haney CR, Farhoud M, DeLille A, Redente EF, Simberg D, Westerly DC, Griffin L, Mason RP, Cancer Res 2020 Dec

Evaluating online filtering algorithms to enhance dynamic multispectral optoacoustic tomography.

O'Kelly D, Guo Y, Mason RP, Photoacoustics 2020 Sep 19 100184

Oxygen-enhanced optoacoustic tomography reveals the effectiveness of targeting heme and oxidative phosphorylation at normalizing tumor vascular oxygenation.

Ghosh P, Guo Y, Ashrafi A, Chen J, Dey S, Zhong S, Liu J, Campbell J, Konduri PC, Gerberich J, Garrosian M, Mason RP, Zhang L, Liu L, Cancer Res. 2020 Jun

Examining correlations of oxygen sensitive MRI (BOLD/TOLD) with [¹⁸F]FMISO PET in rat prostate tumors.

Zhou H, Chiguru S, Hallac RR, Yang D, Hao G, Peschke P, Mason RP, Am J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2019 9 2 156-167

The vascular disrupting agent combretastatin A-4 phosphate causes prolonged elevation of proteins involved in heme flux and function in resistant tumor cells.

Dey S, Kumari S, Kalainayakan SP, Campbell J, Ghosh P, Zhou H, FitzGerald KE, Li M, Mason RP, Zhang L, Liu L Oncotarget 2018 Jan 9 3 4090-4101

Tumor physiological changes during hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy assessed using multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging.

Zhou H, Zhang Z, Denney R, Williams JS, Gerberich J, Stojadinovic S, Saha D, Shelton JM, Mason RP Oncotarget 2017 Mar

Developing oxygen-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging as a prognostic biomarker of radiation response.

White DA, Zhang Z, Li L, Gerberich J, Stojadinovic S, Peschke P, Mason RP Cancer Lett. 2016 Jun 380 1 69-77

A role for dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in predicting tumour radiation response.

Hallac RR, Zhou H, Pidikiti R, Song K, Solberg T, Kodibagkar VD, Peschke P, Mason RP Br. J. Cancer 2016 May 114 11 1206-11

Dynamic oxygen challenge evaluated by NMR T1 and T2 * - insights into tumor oxygenation.

Zhao D, Pacheco-Torres J, Hallac RR, White D, Peschke P, Cerdán S, Mason RP NMR Biomed 2015 Jun

 Featured Books

19F NMR: clinical and molecular imaging applications. In Fluorine in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry: From Biophysical Aspects to Clinical Applications

V. D. Kodibagkar, R. Hallac, D. Zhao, J.-X. Yu, and R. P. Mason (2012). London, World Scientific Publishing Company

Non-Invasive Physiology and Pharmacology Using 19F Magnetic Resonance. In FLOURINE AND HEALTH

J.X. Yu, W. Cui, D. Zhao, and R. P. Mason (May 2008). Elsevier B.V.

Fluorocarbon Agents for Quantitative Multimodal Molecular Imaging and Targeted Therapeutics. In Molecular Imaging: Principles and Practice

S. A. Wickline, R. P. Mason, S. D. Caruthers, J. Chen, P. M. Winter, M. S. Hughes, G. M. Lanza (2010). People?s Medical Publishing House

MRI Hypoxia Measurements. In Functional Imaging in Oncology

S. Remmele, R. P. Mason, and J. P.B. O?Connor (2014). Heidelberg, Springer-Verlag

Innovative applications of reporter genes and gene reporters in prostate cancer. In Prostate Cancer Cells: Detection, Growth and Treatment

L. Liu, M. K. Alhasan, W. Cui, J. Magnusson, and R. P. Mason (2013). Hauppauge, NY, Nova Science Publishers

• Secretary
  MR and Radiation Therapy study group, International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (2021-2022)
• Arthur E. Schwarting Award-Winning Paper (Winn, Trawick, Piinney et al.) https://axial.acs.org/2021/08/26/2020-best-papers-journal-of-natural-products/
  Bioreductively Activatable Prodrug Conjugates of Combretastatin A-1 and Combretastatin A-4 as Anticancer Agents Targeted toward Tumor-Associated Hypoxia (2020)
• Outstanding Teacher Award: International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), Honolulu, HI
  “Beyond Proton MRI: 19F MRI & More” (2017)
• Outstanding Teacher Award: International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), Singapore
  (2016)
• Visiting Professor to the Hubei University of Medicine (HUM)
  Famous Scientists Lecture Program in Hubei Province (2015-2015)
• MR of Cancer Study Group, International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
  Chair (2014-2016)
• Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry
  FRSC (2012)
• CSci
  Chartered Scientist designation of the Science Council (2004)
• Lyndon Baines Johnson Award
  American Heart Association (Texas Affiliate) (1993)
• Young Investigator Award at 5th International Society of Blood Substitutes Meeting
  Presentation: “Tumor oxygen tension: Measurement using OxygentTM as a 19F NMR probe at 4.7 T (1993)
• CChem
  Chartered Chemist of the Royal Society of Chemistry (1987)

• Molecular Imaging and Biology: (2020)
• Diagnostics (2015)
• American Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (2011)
• Imaging in Medicine (2009)
• International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (1990)
• Royal Society of Chemistry (1987)