Meet the Principal Investigator
Martin Pomper, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor & Chair
Martin G. Pomper, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor and Chair of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and serves in both the Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine Divisions. He holds the Effie and Wofford Cain Distinguished Chair of Diagnostic Imaging.
He received undergraduate, graduate (organic chemistry) and medical degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Postgraduate medical training was in radiology at Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Pomper focuses his research on molecular imaging and therapy for cancer and central nervous system disorders. His work has resulted in nearly 500 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals, and a number of patents and presentations at professional conferences throughout the world.
While his work has involved molecular-genetic imaging, nanomedicine, and generation of new positron emission tomography (PET)-based agents for neuroinflammation, his greatest effort has been in the discovery and development of small molecules targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). He created the first small molecules for imaging PSMA, and the first commercial PSMA-targeted PET agent (PYLARIFY®). His group also created the first PSMA-targeted imaging and therapeutic (theranostic) agents incorporating a radiometal. Compounds of the same chemical class have been approved by the FDA and are used worldwide to help manage patients with prostate cancer.
Meet the Team
Il Minn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
IL Minn Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of its Nuclear Medicine Division with a focus on its research mission.
Wojciech Lesniak, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Wojciech G. Lesniak, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of its Nuclear Medicine Division with focus on its research mission.
Dr. Lesniak focuses his research on the development of molecular imaging and theranostic agents for diagnosing and treating cancer and central nervous system diseases. He is particularly interested in imaging-guided cancer-targeted drug delivery, which provides crucial information to enhance therapeutic responses. By integrating advanced imaging modalities with targeted drug delivery systems, he aims to improve the precision and efficacy of treatments, ultimately contributing to personalized medicine approaches in oncology and neurology. His work has resulted in more than 90 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals and presentations at professional conferences throughout the world.
Dr. Lesniak is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Material Research Society, the World Molecular Imaging Congress, and the Controlled Release Society.
Marzieh Mazinani
Research Associate, M.S.
She is a Research Associate in the Department of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where her research focuses on cancer immunotherapy and molecular imaging. Before joining UT Southwestern, she was a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Hwanhee (Joy) Nam
Research Associate
Clarissa Pham
Graduate Student Researcher, Medical Scientist Training Program
Nitika Sharma
Senior Research Associate
Ji Hyung Jun
Senior Research Associate