Biography

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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.

Education

Undergraduate
University of Cambridge (1983), Natural Sciences
Graduate School
University of Cambridge (1986), Organic Chemistry

Research Interest

  • 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

Publications

Featured Publications LegendFeatured Publications

Books

Featured Books Legend Featured Books

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

Honors & Awards

  • 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)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

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