Our Faculty and Staff

Project Leaders:

Project 1:

Co-Leaders:
Gregory Lanza, MD, PhD: Medicine, WU Med. School
Michael Tomasson, MD, PhD: Medicine, WU Med. School

Investigators:
Steven Fletcher, PhD: U. Maryland School of Pharm
Ed Prochownik, MD: U. Pitt Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

Project 2:

Leader: Samuel Achilefu, PhD, FRSC: Radiology, WU Med. School

Investigators:
Pratim Biswas, PhD: WU School of Engineering
Katherine Weilbaecher, MD: Medicine, WU Med. School
Monica Shokeen, PhD: Radiology, WU Med. School
Kareem Azab, PhD: Radiation Oncology, WU Med. School

Project 3:

Leader: John DiPersio, MD, PhD: Medicine, WU Med. School

Investigators:
Michael Rettig, PhD: Medicine, WU Med. School
Matthew Cooper, PhD: Medicine, WU Med. School
Monica Shokeen, PhD: Radiology, WU Med. School
Kareem Azab, PhD: Radiation Oncology, WU Med. School

Core Resources:

Core 1:

Leader: Kooresh Shoghi, PhD: Radiology, WU Med. School

Co-leaders:
Yongjian Liu, PhD: Radiology, WU Med. School
Monica Shokeen, PhD: Radiology, WU Med. School

Core 2: Data Management

Leader: Fred Prior, PhD: Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Co-Leader: Malcolm Tobias, PhD: Radiology, WU Med. School

Training and Outreach Program:

Leader: Monica Shokeen, PhD: Radiology, WU Med. School

Co-Leader: Joseph Culver, PhD: Radiology, WU Med. School

Developmental Research Program

Co-Leaders:
Ravi Vij, MD: Medicine, WU Med. School
Samuel Achilefu, PhD, FRSC: Radiology, WU Med. School

Administration:

Center Executive Administrative Professional: Brenda Phelps
Center Research Administrator: Paige Isom

Principal Investigators

The Center for Multiple Myeloma Nanotherapy (CMMN) is an interdisciplinary program that spans across the Washington University campus, its medical school and the Siteman Cancer Center. Leaders of CMMN are:

Program Director and Principal Investigator

Samuel Achilefu, PhD, FRSC
Professor of Radiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, & Biomedical Engineering

Achilefu is a pioneer in the development of molecular imaging probes and nanomaterials for imaging and treatment of cancer. He currently leads the translation of innovative imaging technologies and molecular probes from bench to bedside.

Co-Director and Principal Investigator

Gregory Lanza, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering

Lanza is a distinguished leader in the development and translation of nanomaterials to the clinic. He has extensive experience in the practice of medicine, nanomedicine research and development, and pharmaceutical development in large industry as well as small biotechnology start-ups.

Center for Multiple Myeloma About CMMN

Washington University School of Medicine’s 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals.

The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient-care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

Despite tremendous improvements in patient management, nearly all multiple myeloma (MM) patients will eventually relapse and die from it. Leveraging the enormous institutional resources and support, diverse expertise in MM, the integral participation of patient advocates, industry partners, and synergistic integration of basic and clinical investigators, the CMMN will serve as a comprehensive center for the development of nanotechnology-based solutions for treating MM and bone metastasis.

Faculty & Staff