Konstantin V. Sokolov, Ph.D.
Department of Imaging Physics, Division of Diagnostic Imaging
About Dr. Sokolov
Dr. Sokolov received his Diploma Degree in Physics in 1987 from the Moscow Engineering-Physics Institute, Russia, and Ph.D. in Biophysics in 1992 from Moscow State University, Russia. His Ph.D. thesis focused on biomedical applications of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Subsequently, he carried out research in the field of optical spectroscopy of biomolecules and bioanalytical chemistry as a postdoctoral fellow and a staff scientist at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia; the University of Reims, Reims, France; and the Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, U.S.A. Before joining the MD Anderson Cancer Center as a faculty member in 2002, Dr. Sokolov was a Research Scientist in Biomedical Engineering Program, the University of Texas at Austin.
Currently, Dr. Sokolov is a Professor of Imaging Physics and the director of the Biomedical Optics and NanoDiagnostics (BOND) laboratory, which develops nanotechnology-based platforms and optical imaging/spectroscopy devices for early detection, diagnosis/prognosis, and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Achieving these objectives requires synergy between fundamental, exploratory, and translational research. Therefore, Dr. Sokolov’s approach to solving challenging biomedical problems is through fundamental studies leading to future clinical applications.
Dr. Sokolov has made seminal contributions to new directions of research in the field of bio-nanotechnology especially in the areas of ultra-sensitive biomolecular assays and molecular imaging that utilize unique physicochemical properties of plasmonic nanoparticles. Research and advanced-degree training in Dr. Sokolov’s lab has been funded by major grants from NCI, NIBIB, NHLBI, NSF, and the Whitaker Foundation.
In the News
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Professor, Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Adjunct Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Adjunct Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX
Research Interests
Smart biophotonic probes for molecular imaging; m ethodology and devices for in vivo imaging and spectroscopy with optical contrast
Molecular and functional optical/photoacoustic imaging in vivo
Image-guided therapy
Diag nostic assays for efficient capture, detection and analysis of rare cells in the body
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 1992 | Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, PHD, Biophysics |
| 1987 | Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, Moscow, Russia, Diploma Degree, Physics |
Postgraduate Training
| 1993-1993 | Postgraduate Training, Laboratory of Biomolecular Spectroscopy, Reims University, Reims |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Chief, Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2019 - 2022
Adjunct Professor, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 2014 - Present
Adjunct Professor, Rice University, Houston, TX, 2014 - Present
Associate Professor, Department of Imaging Physics and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2008 - 2014
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2006 - 2008
Adjunct Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 2002 - 2008
Assistant Professor, Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2002 - 2006
Research Associate, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 1998 - 2002
Assistant Scientist, Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 1997 - 1998
Visiting Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 1994 - 1997
Associate Scientist, Laboratory of Optical Spectroscopy, Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 1993 - 1994
Visiting Scientist, Department of Laboratory of Biomolecular Spectroscopy, Reims University, Reims, 1993 - Present
Assistant Scientist, Laboratory of Optical Spectroscopy, Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 1992 - 1993
Honors & Awards
| 2023 | Elected Fellow, The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) |
| 2020 | Distinguished Investigator, Member of the Academy of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research Council of Distinguished Investigators |
| 2018 | Elected Fellow, The International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) |
| 2017 | Senior Member, The International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) |
| 2015 | Chair, V International Symposium on Topical Problems of Biophotonics, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia |
| 2015 | Elected Fellow, The Optical Society of America (OSA) |
| 2014 | Faculty Leadership Academy, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center |
| 2013 | General Chair, OSA Topical Meeting: Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging, and Drug Delivery |
| 2012 | Plenary Speaker, XVI International School on Optics, Laser Physics and Biophotonics, Saratov, Russia |
| 2011 | Chair, OSA Topical Meeting: Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging, and Drug Delivery |
| 2011 | Chair, III International Symposium on Topical Problems of Biophotonics, St. Petersburg, Russia |
| 2008 | Speaker, Lester Wolfe Workshop in Laser Biomedicine, MIT and Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology |
| 2008 | Chair, The Molecular Probes and Nanobio-optics Technical Group of the Optical Society of America (OSA) |
| 2000 | Whitaker Foundation Award |
| 1993 | Outstanding Young Scientist Award, Russian Academy of Sciences |
| 1993 | Fellowship, Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique (CNRS) |
| 1992 | Fellowship, Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique (CNRS) |
| 1989 | Young Researcher Award, Shemyakin Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry USSR Academy of Sciences |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Kawelah MR, Han S, Atila Dincer C, Jeon J, Brisola J, Hussain AF, Jeevarathinam AS, Bouchard R, Marras AE, Truskett TM, Sokolov KV, Johnston KP. Antibody-Conjugated Polymersomes with Encapsulated Indocyanine Green J-Aggregates and High Near-Infrared Absorption for Molecular Photoacoustic Cancer Imaging. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 16(5):5598-5612, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38270979.
- Schwartz-Duval AS, Mackeyev Y, Mahmud I, Lorenzi PL, Gagea M, Krishnan S, Sokolov KV. Intratumoral Biosynthesis of Gold Nanoclusters by Pancreatic Cancer to Overcome Delivery Barriers to Radiosensitization. ACS Nano 18(3):1865-1881, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38206058.
- Changalvaie B, Han S, Moaseri E, Scaletti F, Truong L, Caplan R, Cao A, Bouchard R, Truskett TM, Sokolov KV*, Johnston KP* (*corresponding authors). Indocyanine Green J Aggregates in Polymersomes for Near-Infrared Photoacoustic Imaging. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 11(50):46437-46450, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31804795.
- Nevozhay D, Weiger M, Friedl P, Sokolov KV. Spatiotemporally controlled nano-sized third harmonic generation agents. Biomed Opt Express 10(7):3301-3316, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31360600.
- Liu CH, Nevozhay D, Schill A, Singh M, Das S, Nair A, Han Z, Aglyamov S, Larin KV, Sokolov KV. Nanobomb optical coherence elastography. Opt Lett 43(9):2006-2009, 2018. PMID: 29714732.
- Haber JM, Gascoyne PRC, Sokolov K. Rapid real-time recirculating PCR using localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and piezo-electric pumping. Lab Chip 17(16):2821-2830, 2017. PMID: 28703830.
- Luke GP, Myers JN, Emelianov SY, Sokolov KV. Sentinel lymph node biopsy revisited: ultrasound-guided photoacoustic detection of micrometastases using molecularly targeted plasmonic nanosensors. Cancer Res 74(19):5397-5408, 2014. PMID: 25106426.
- Wu CH, Huang YY, Chen P, Hoshino K, Liu H, Frenkel EP, Zhang JX, Sokolov KV. Versatile Immunomagnetic Nanocarrier Platform for Capturing Cancer Cells. ACS Nano 7(10)(10):8816-8823, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24016305.
- Larson TA, Joshi PP, Sokolov K. Preventing Protein Adsorption and Macrophage Uptake of Gold Nanoparticles via a Hydrophobic Shield. ACS Nano 6(10):9182-9190, 2012. PMID: 23009596.
- Tam JM, Tam JO, Murthy A, Ingram DR, Ma LL, Travis K, Johnston KP, Sokolov KV. Controlled assembly of biodegradable plasmonic nanoclusters for near-infrared imaging and therapeutic applications. ACS Nano 4(4):2178-84, 2010. PMID: 20373747.
- Aaron J, Travis, Harrison N, Sokolov KV. Dynamic Imaging of Molecular Assemblies in Live Cells Based on Nanoparticle Plasmon Resonance Coupling. Nano Letters 9(10):3612-3618, 2009. PMID: 19645464.
- Kumar S, Aaron J, Sokolov KV. Directional conjugation of antibodies to nanoparticles for synthesis of multiplexed optical contrast agents with both delivery and targeting moieties. Nature Protocols 3(2):314-320, 2008. PMID: 18274533.
- Aaron JS, Nitin N, Travis K, Kumar S, Collier T, Park SY, Jose-Yacaman M, Coghlan L, Follen M, Richards-Kortum R, Sokolov KV. Plasmon Resonance Coupling of Metal Nanoparticles for Molecular Imaging of Carcinogenesis In Vivo. Journal of Biomedical Optics 12(3):034007, 2007.
- Mallidi S, Larson T, Aaron J, Sokolov KV, Emelianov S. Molecular specific photoacoustic with plasmonic nanoparticles. Optics Express 15(11):6583-6588, 2007.
- Durr NJ, Larson T, Smith DK, Korgel BA, Sokolov, KV, Ben-Yakar A. Two-Photon Luninescence Imaging of Cancer Cells using Molecularly Targeted Gold Nanorods. Nano Letters 7(4):941-945, 2007.
- Kumar S, Harrison N, Richards-Kortum R, SokolovKV. Plasmonic Nanosensors for Imaging Intracellular Biomarkers in Live Cells. Nano Letters 7(5):1338-1343, 2007.
- Sokolov KV, Follen M, Aaron J, Pavlova I, Malpica A, Lotan R, Richards-Kortum R. Real-Time Vital Optical Imaging of Precancer Using Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Antibodies Conjugated to Gold Nanoparticles. Cancer Res 63:1999-2004, 2003. PMID: 12727808.
- Sokolov KV, Drezek R, Gossage K, Richards-Kortum R. Reflectance Spectroscopy with Polarized Light: Is it Sensitive to Cellular and Nuclear Morphology. Optics Express 5:302-317 (journal cover), 1999.
- Sokolov KV, Chumanov GD, Cotton TM. Enhancement of Molecular Fluorescence near the Surface of Colloidal Metal Films. Anal. Chem 70(18):3898-3905, 1998. PMID: 9751028.
Invited Articles
- Sokolov KV. Tiny thermometers used in living cells. Nature 500(7460):36-37, 2013. PMID: 23903745.
Abstracts
- Jimenez MK, Lam S, Poh C, Sokolov K.. Depth sensitive oblique polarized reflectance spectroscopy of oral epithelial tissue. Translational Biophotonics. Bellingham: Spie-Int Soc Optical Engineering, 2014.
- Stover R, Murthy A, Gourisankar S, Nie G, Martinez M, Truskett T, Sokolov K, Johnston K.. Plasmonic biodegradable gold nanoclusters with high NIR-absorbance for biomedical imaging. Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications Ix. Bellingham: Spie-Int Soc Optical Engineering, 2014.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Neoadjuvant treatment response monitoring of breast cancer with molecular photoacoustic imaging |
| Funding Source: | Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Molecular Photoacoustic Imaging for Diagnostics and Therapy Monitoring |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NIBIB |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | In situ cancer cell specific synthesis of gold nanoclusters for radiosensitization of pancreatic cancer |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | High sensitivity 19F MRI for clinically translatable imaging of adoptive NK cell brain tumor therapy |
| Funding Source: | Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | In situ cancer cell specific synthesis of gold nanoclusters for enhanced radiotherapy of head and neck cancer |
| Funding Source: | UTMDACC |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Development of fluorinated dyes for deeper tissue photoacoustic imaging with phase changing nanodroplets |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NIBIB |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Radiosensitization of thyroid cancer by cancer cell specific reduction of gold ions |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | In situ cancer cell specific biomineralization to overcome nanoparticle delivery barriers and sensitize pancreatic cancer to radiotherapy |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Contact PI |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified October 14, 2024