Ethel Joso Ngen, PhD

Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) Newsletter, Ethel Ngen – Childhood Cancer Researcher - NCI (October 23, 2023)

  Tracking Transplanted Stem Cells by Dual-Contrast MRI, Advanced Science News (December 28, 2017)

  Research Fellowships, JAG Funds INC Impact, (December 2014)

  American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) News, PRWeb  (August 27, 2014)

Assistant Professor of Oncology

Molecular and cellular imaging; noninvasive imaging biomarkers; noninvasive molecular and cellular imaging biosensors; image-guided drug and nanoparticle delivery; theranostic and nanotheranostic biomaterials; image-guided stem cell therapies; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine

Responsive Imaging BioSensors & BioEngineering (RISE) - Lab Website

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vDTJ-6cAAAAJ&hl=en

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Ethel%20Ngen

• Ngen EJ, Wang L, Kato L, Krishnamarchary B, Zhu W, Gandhi N, Smith B, Armour M, Wong J, Gabrielson K, Artemov D. Imaging transplanted stem cells in real time using an MRI dual contrast method. Sci. Rep., 2015, 5:13628

• Ngen EJ, Wang L, Gandhi N, Kato Y, Armour M, Wong J, Gabrielson K, Artemov D. A preclinical murine model for the early detection of radiation-induced brain injury using magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral tests for learning and memory with applications for the evaluation of possible stem cell imaging agents and therapies. J. Neuro-Oncol., 2016, 128(2):225-33

• Ngen EJ, Bar-Shir A, Jablonska A, Lui G, Song X, Ansari R, Bulte JWM, Janowski M, Pearl E, Walczak P, Gilad AA. Imaging the DNA alkylator melphalan by CEST MRI: An advanced approach to theranostics. Mol. Pharm., 2016, 13(9):3043-53.

• Teitz M, Velarde E, Yang X,  Lee S, Lecksell K, Terrillion C, Bibic A, Ngen EJ. Developing magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers of neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment, and survival outcomes for radiotherapy-induced brain injury in a preclinical mouse model. Invest. Radiol. 2026, 61 (1):10-20.

• Maiti S, Yadav S, Teitz M, Velarde E, Lee S, Lecksell K, Bibic A, Ngen EJ.  Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI, 11C-DPA-713 PET and 11C-CPPC PET as predictive imaging biomarkers of neuroinflammation in radiotherapy-induced brain injury. Sci. Rep. 2026, online.

• Maiti S and Ngen EJ. Nanotheranostic agents for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. 2024, United States Patent.

• 2025 RRS ECI Faculty Travel Award, Radiation Research Society (RRS)
• 2024 RRS ECI Faculty Travel Award, Radiation Research Society (RRS)
• 2023 ICRR ECI Faculty Travel Award, Radiation Research Society (RRS)
• 2022 NASDC Faculty Travel Award, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Awardee Skills Development Consortium (NASDC)
• 2022 NASDC Leadership and Mentorship Faculty Scholarship Award, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Awardee Skills Development Consortium (NASDC)
• 2022 NASDC Cell and Gene Therapy Junior Faculty Scholarship Award, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Awardee Skills Development Consortium (NASDC)
• 2022 NASDC Translational Research Junior Faculty Immuno-Oncology Scholarship Award, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Awardee Skills Development Consortium (NASDC)
• 2022 NASDC Leadership, Mentorship and Health Disparities Faculty Scholarship Award, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Awardee Skills Development Consortium (NASDC)
• 2021 Outstanding Radiology Junior Faculty Research Award, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science
• 2021 OWISM Early Career Women's Leadership Faculty Program, Johns Hopkins University school of Medicine, Office of Women in Science and Medicine (OWISM)
• ABTA Basic Research Fellowship, American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA)
• ISMRM Summa Cum Laude Merit Award, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)
• ISMRM Trainee Travel Award, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)
• BCAAP Graduate Research Assistantship, Biological Control and Analysis by Applied Photonics Center (BCAAP)
• SDSU Graduate Student Travel Award, South Dakota State University (SDSU)
• AAPS Graduate Student Research Award, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) SDSU Chapter
• Sigma Xi Graduate Student Grant Award, Sigma Xi SDSU Chapter
• Graduate Teaching & Research Assistantship, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, SDSU

• Developing translational and predictive imaging biomarkers of radiotherapy-induced brain injury in preclinical models. Invited presentation, 2026 CCDI Webinar Series, Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI), National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
• Developing contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging as a surrogate biomarker of neuroinflammation in a preclinical mouse model of radiotherapy-induced brain injury. Invited sponsored presentation, 2024 Contrast Media Research Symposium, World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS), Oslo, Norway.
• Evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of neuroprotective pH/redox-activable polymeric nanotheranostic agents in a preclinical mouse model radiotherapy-induced brain injury, using contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging as a proxy biomarker. Invited sponsored presentation, 2024 Contrast Media Research Symposium, World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS), Oslo, Norway.
• Developing neuroprotective pH/redox-responsive polymeric nanotheranostic agents for the image-guided mitigation of radiotherapy-induced brain injury. Invited sponsored presentation, Regenerative Medicine in the Radiation Sciences Symposium. 2024 RRS Annual meeting, Radiation Research Society (RRS), Tucson, Arizona.
• Developing noninvasive imaging biomarkers of radiotherapy-induced brain injury in a preclinical mouse model. Invited sponsored presentation, 2023 International Congress on Radiation Research, Radiation Research Society (RRS), Montreal, Canada.
• The role of contrast media in predicting outcomes in the engineering of PC lesions for enhanced nanoparticle delivery, Invited sponsored presentation, 2022 Contrast Media Research Symposium, World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS), Annapolis, MD.
• Developing theranostic strategies to minimize cancer therapy-induced injuries, Invited sponsored presentation, 2022 Seminar Series, University of Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Buffalo, NY
• Monitoring Engineered Cells for Theranostics SyBRG Spotlight Session, Invited Spotlight Presentation, 2021 World Molecular Imaging Conference (WMIC), World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS).
• Developing image-guided strategies to minimize cancer therapy-induced injuries, Invited presentation, 2021 MSKCC Imaging Sciences Seminar Series, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Department of Radiology.
• Image-guided therapies for cancer therapy-induced brain injuries, Invited Presentation, 2021 Physics Academic Forum, JHMI, Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Science.
• Biologically responsive MRI contrast agents to monitor therapeutic interventions in oncology and regenerative medicine, Invited sponsored presentation, 2020 Frontiers of Biomedical Imaging, Vanderbilt University, Institute of Imaging Science.

• World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS)
• International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)
• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)
• American Brain Tumor Association Alumni Research Network (AARN)
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
• American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Radiation Research Society (RRS)

• 2025 - 2026 RRS Conference Program Planning Committee Member, Radiation Research Society (RRS).
• 2024 - 2028 Radiation Therapeutics and Biology Study Section Standing Member, National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• 2024 - 2025 WMIS Education Committee Member, World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS).
• 2024 AARN Program Committee Co-Chair, American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA).
• 2022-2024 AARN Program Committee Member, American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA).
• Emerging Imaging Technologies in Neuroscience (EITN) Study Section Ad hoc Member, National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• RTB Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (RTB SBIR/STTR) Study Section Ad hoc Member, NIH.
• 2022 Pharmaceutics Co-Editor, Special Issue on Nanoparticle Delivery.
• Topics Advisory Editorial Board Member, Pharmaceutics.
• 2021 WMIC Bioengineering, Synthetic Biology and New Biology Abstract Category Co-Chair, World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS).
• 2020 WMIC New Chemistry, Biology and Bioengineering Abstract Category Co-chair, World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS).
• 2018 - 2021 WMIC Program Committee Member, World Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS).
• 2009 - 2011 Young Chemist in Cancer Research Committee Member, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

• Research Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences (2017)