John Kurhanewicz, PhD
Professor
Radiology
School of Medicine

415-350-9899

John Kurhanewicz, PhD is a Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Urology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at University of California, San Francisco, and a member of the California Institute for Quantitative Biology and UCSF Cancer Center, and faculty in the UCSF-UCB Bioengineering Graduate Group.

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He is the Director of the UCSF Body Research Interest Group, the Biomedical NMR lab, and the Kurhanewicz Laboratory at UCSF. Dr. Kurhanewicz received his BS in Chemistry from the University of South Florida/New College in 1982, and obtained his PhD in Physical Organic Chemistry from the University of South Florida, Tampa in 1987, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in MRI/MRS from the University of California, San Francisco in 1990.

Dr. Kurhanewicz and his colleagues have developed a large prostate cancer imaging program at UCSF, involving the application of advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques (metabolic, diffusion and perfusion weighted MRI) to provide a more accurate assessment of the extent and aggressiveness of prostate cancer in individual patients. This multiparametric 1H MRI prostate cancer staging exam is currently being used to help over a 1,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer a year at UCSF to decide on their best therapeutic course. He is also currently involved in the development and clinical translation of an extraordinary new molecular imaging technique utilizing hyperpolarized 13C labeled metabolic substrates that has the potential to revolutionize the way MR imaging is used in the risk assessment of prostate cancer patients. He led the first clinical trial of this technology at UCSF and is involved in three ongoing clinical trials investigating its clinical utility.

Dr. Kurhanewicz has published over 230 peer-reviewed manuscripts and19 book chapters, and has been cited 16,089 times (citation indices: h-index of 69, i10-index - 180). He is a member of 7 scientific societies, serves on numerous scientific review panels for the National Institute of Health, Department of Defense and American Cancer Society and reviews for over 20 different journals. He has 25 years of mentoring in the areas of advanced MR cancer imaging and molecular imaging, and has mentored over 120 graduate and under-graduate students, medical fellows and junior faculty.

Expertise: Urology

Specialty: Prostate cancer, urology, pharmaceutical chemistry

Professional Interests: Magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, hyperpolarized 13C MR cancer, dynamic nuclear polarization, hyperpolarized probes, micro-imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, dynamic contrast enhanced imaging, prostate cancer, imaging biomarkers, high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) spectroscopy, 13C and 31P spectroscopy, immunohistochemistry, gene expression, clinical translation

Education and Training:

  • Bachelor of Science: University of South Florida/New College - BS, Chemistry
  • Doctor of Philosophy: University of South Florida, Tampa - Physical Chemistry
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship: University of California, San Francisco - Vivo MRI/MRS

Awards

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  • Distinguished Investigator, Academy of Radiology Research, 2013
  • GE Healthcare’s MR Thought Leader, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2009
  • Dean’s Recognition for Excellence in Teaching, University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy, 2009
  • Fellow, Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2008
  • Outstanding Teacher Award, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2007-2008
  • Outstanding Chemistry Alumnus, University of South Florida, 1998

Interests

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  • clinical translation
  • immunohistochemistry
  • diffusion tensor imaging
  • hyperpolarized 13C MR cancer
  • imaging biomarkers
  • dynamic contrast enhanced imaging
  • hyperpolarized probes
  • magnetic resonance spectroscopy
  • micro-imaging
  • dynamic nuclear polarization
  • gene expression
  • prostate cancer
  • high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) spectroscopy
  • MRI
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • 13C and 31P spectroscopy

Websites

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Grants and Projects

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Publications (282)

Top publication keywords:
Biomarkers, TumorCarbon IsotopesCitric AcidPyruvic AcidMagnetic Resonance ImagingImage Interpretation, Computer-AssistedUreaProstatic NeoplasmsProstateAlanineCholineLactic AcidCarbon-13 Magnetic Resonance SpectroscopyBioreactorsMagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

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