Emil Schueler, Ph.D.
Department of Radiation Physics, Division of Radiation Oncology
About Dr. Emil Schueler
The main objective of my research is to develop novel treatment modalities and techniques to improve and expand the arsenal of cancer therapies. I have extensive experience in peptide-receptor radio nuclide therapy and in nanoparticle-enhanced radiation therapy (RT). My current focus is on ultra-high-dose-rate (FLASH) RT. This technique requires dose rates>100 times faster than conventional RT and has been shown to produce less normal tissue toxicity while maintaining tumor control compared to conventional irradiation (named the FLASH effect), potentially representing a new paradigm in radiation oncology. At Stanford University, I spearheaded the development of a FLASH irradiation platform. I was able to successfully modify a Varian linac to produce, for the first time, dose rates in excess of 1000 Gy/s, with field sizes suitable for small animal irradiation, something that previously could be achieved only with dedicated prototype machines. Development of this platform has since become the basis, both nationally and internationally, for institutions to establish their own FLASH research programs. Currently, my research goals center on developing universal real-time dosimetry protocols for FLASH RT and characterizing the functional responses of normal and tumor tissues to FLASH irradiation. Special emphasis is given towards elucidating the full scope of the FLASH effect physical parameters and oxygen dependence in both normal and tumor tissue. I have solid experience and a track record of publications in FLASH RT, dosimetry, and radiation biology.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Physics, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Faculty Member, Department of Radiation Physics - Patient Care, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2015 | University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SWE, PHD, Physics/Medical Sciences |
| 2010 | University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SWE, MS, Medical Physics |
Postgraduate Training
| 2017-2019 | Clinical Residency, Medical Physics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA |
| 2015-2017 | Research Fellowship, Medical Physics, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA |
Board Certifications
| 2021 | The American Board of Radiology |
| 2011 | Medical Physicist Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Instructor, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 2019 - 2020
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Chief Medical Physics Resident, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 2018 - 2019
Institutional Committee Activities
Member, New Technology Committee, 2020 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2020 | MD Anderson Radiation Oncology Strategic Initiatives (ROSI) “Shark Tank” Award, University of Texas MD Anderson |
| 2018 | AAPM Science Council Associates Mentorship Program (SCAMP) Award, American Association of Physicists in Medicine |
| 2016 | AACR Basic Science Research Fellowship, AACR |
| 2016 | Dean's Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University |
| 2016 | Radiation Research Society's Travel Award, Radiation Research Society |
| 2015 | The Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation Fellowship, The Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation Fellowship |
| 2015 | Young Investigators Travel Award (ICRR), International Congress of Radiation Research |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Schüler E, Acharya M, Montay-Gruel P, Loo BW, Vozenin MC, Maxim PG. Ultra-high dose rate electron beams and the FLASH effect: From preclinical evidence to a new radiotherapy paradigm. Med Phys 49(3):2082-2095, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 34997969.
- Okoro CM, Schüler E, Taniguchi CM. The Therapeutic Potential of FLASH-RT for Pancreatic Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 14(5), 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35267474.
- Titt U, Yang M, Wang X, Iga K, Fredette N, Schueler E, Lin SH, Zhu XR, Sahoo N, Koong AC, Zhang X, Mohan R. Design and validation of a synchrotron proton beam line for FLASH radiotherapy preclinical research experiments. Med Phys 49(1):497-509, 2022. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34800037.
- Yufan (Fred) Wu, MD; Hyunsoo Joshua No, MD, CMD; Dylan Y. Breitkreutz, PhD; Anthony E. Mascia, PhD; Raphaël Moeckli, PhD; Jean Bourhis, MD, PhD; Emil Schüler, PhD; Peter G. Maxim, PhD; Billy W. Loo Jr., MD, PhD. Technological Basis for Clinical Trials in FLASH Radiation Therapy: A Review. Applied Radiation Oncology 10(2):6-14, 2021.
- Kim YE, Gwak SH, Hong BJ, Oh JM, Choi HS, Kim MS, Oh D, Lartey FM, Rafat M, Schüler E, Kim HS, von Eyben R, Weissman IL, Koch CJ, Maxim PG, Loo BW, Ahn GO. Effects of Ultra-high doserate FLASH Irradiation on the Tumor Microenvironment in Lewis Lung Carcinoma: Role of Myosin Light Chain. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 109(5):1440-1453, 2021. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33186615.
- Turner BE, Schüler E, Chang SD, Harsh GR, Soltys SG. Intracranial Autograft Fat Placement to Separate the Optic Chiasm from Tumor to Improve Stereotactic Radiotherapy Dosimetry. World Neurosurg 146:80-84, 2021. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33130141.
- E.Schueler, C.F.Chuang, Y.Yang, L.Xing, W.Zhao. Mitigating the Uncertainty in Small Field Dosimetry for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy by Leveraging Machine Learning Strategies 108(3):S1, E325, 2020.
- Schüler E, Mallozzi R, Levy J, Hristov D. Technical Note: Extended field‐of‐view (FOV) MRI distortion determination through multi‐positional phantom imaging. J Appl Clin Med Phys, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
- Kim AS, Melemenidis S, Gustavsson AK, Abid D, Wu Y, Liu F, Hristov D, Schüler E. Increased local tumor control through nanoparticle-mediated, radiation-triggered release of nitrite, an important precursor for reactive nitrogen species. Phys Med Biol 65(19):195003, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32721936.
- Gao P, Cheng K, Schüler E, Jia M, Zhao W, Xing L. Restarted primal-dual Newton conjugate gradient method for enhanced spatial resolution of reconstructed cone-beam x-ray luminescence computed tomography images. Phys Med Biol 65(13):135008, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32268318.
- Schüler E, Lo A, Chuang CF, Soltys SG, Pollom EL, Wang L. Clinical impact of the VOLO optimizer on treatment plan quality and clinical treatment efficiency for CyberKnife. J Appl Clin Med Phys 21(5):38-47, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32212374.
- Andersson CK, Shubbar E, Schüler E, Åkerström B, Gram M, Forssell-Aronsson EB. Recombinant α1-Microglobulin Is a Potential Kidney Protector in 177Lu-Octreotate Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumors. J Nucl Med 60(11):1600-1604, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30926650.
- Simmons DA, Lartey FM, Schüler E, Rafat M, King G, Kim A, Ko R, Semaan S, Gonzalez S, Jenkins M, Pradhan P, Shih Z, Wang J, von Eyben R, Graves EE, Maxim PG, Longo FM, Loo BW. Reduced cognitive deficits after FLASH irradiation of whole mouse brain are associated with less hippocampal dendritic spine loss and neuroinflammation. Radiother Oncol 139:4-10, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31253467.
- Schüler E, Wang L, Loo BW, Maxim PG. Conical beam geometry intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Phys Med Biol 64(12):125014, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31125980.
- Spetz J, Rudqvist N, Langen B, Parris TZ, Dalmo J, Schüler E, Wängberg B, Nilsson O, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Time-dependent transcriptional response of GOT1 human small intestine neuroendocrine tumor after 177Lu[Lu]-octreotate therapy. Nucl Med Biol 60:11-18, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29502008.
- Schüler E, Eriksson K, Hynning E, Hancock SL, Hiniker SM, Bazalova-Carter M, Wong T, Le QT, Loo BW, Maxim PG. Very high-energy electron (VHEE) beams in radiation therapy; Treatment plan comparison between VHEE, VMAT, and PPBS. Med Phys 44(6):2544-2555, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28339108.
- Schüler E, Trovati S, King G, Lartey F, Rafat M, Villegas M, Praxel AJ, Loo BW, Maxim PG. Experimental Platform for Ultra-high Dose Rate FLASH Irradiation of Small Animals Using a Clinical Linear Accelerator. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 97(1):195-203, 2017. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27816362.
- Rudqvist N, Spetz J, Schüler E, Parris TZ, Langen B, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Transcriptional response to 131I exposure of rat thyroid gland. PLoS One 12(2):e0171797, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28222107.
- Andreas MaierEmail, Susanne Westphal, Tobias Geimer, Peter G. Maxim, Gregory King, Emil Schueler, Rebecca Fahrig, Billy Loo. Fast Pose Verification for High-Speed Radiation Therapy. Bildverarbeitung für die Medizin:104 - 109, 2017.
- Schüler E, Österlund A, Forssell-Aronsson E. The amount of injected 177Lu-octreotate strongly influences biodistribution and dosimetry in C57BL/6N mice. Acta Oncol 55(1):68-76, 2016. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25813472.
- Rudqvist N, Spetz J, Schüler E, Langen B, Parris TZ, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Gene expression signature in mouse thyroid tissue after (131)I and (211)At exposure. EJNMMI Res 5(1):59, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26492889.
- Schüler E, Larsson M, Parris TZ, Johansson ME, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Potential Biomarkers for Radiation-Induced Renal Toxicity following 177Lu-Octreotate Administration in Mice. PLoS One 10(8):e0136204, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26287527.
- Rudqvist N, Schüler E, Parris TZ, Langen B, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Dose-specific transcriptional responses in thyroid tissue in mice after (131)I administration. Nucl Med Biol 42(3):263-8, 2015. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25496975.
- Langen B, Rudqvist N, Parris TZ, Schüler E, Spetz J, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Transcriptional response in normal mouse tissues after i.v. (211)At administration - response related to absorbed dose, dose rate, and time. EJNMMI Res 5:1, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25853007.
- Rudqvist N, Spetz J, Schüler E, Parris TZ, Langen B, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Transcriptional Response in Mouse Thyroid Tissue after (211) At Administration: Effects of Absorbed Dose, Initial Dose-Rate and Time after Administration. PLoS One 10(7):e0131686, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26177204.
- Schüler E, Rudqvist N, Parris TZ, Langen B, Spetz J, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Time- and dose rate-related effects of internal (177)Lu exposure on gene expression in mouse kidney tissue. Nucl Med Biol 41(10):825-32, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25156037.
- Schüler E, Rudqvist N, Parris TZ, Langen B, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Transcriptional response of kidney tissue after 177Lu-octreotate administration in mice. Nucl Med Biol 41(3):238-47, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24434014.
- Schüler E, Parris TZ, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Distinct microRNA expression profiles in mouse renal cortical tissue after 177Lu-octreotate administration. PLoS One 9(11):e112645, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25386939.
- Schüler E., Gustavsson A.K., Hertenberger S., Sattler K. Solar photocatalytic and electrokinetic studies of TiO2/Ag Nanoparticle suspensions. Solar Energy 96:220-226, 2013.
- Langen B, Rudqvist N, Parris TZ, Schüler E, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Comparative analysis of transcriptional gene regulation indicates similar physiologic response in mouse tissues at low absorbed doses from intravenously administered 211At. J Nucl Med 54(6):990-8, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23658216.
- Rudqvist N, Parris TZ, Schüler E, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Transcriptional response of BALB/c mouse thyroids following in vivo astatine-211 exposure reveals distinct gene expression profiles. EJNMMI Res 2(1):32, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22697397.
- Schüler E, Parris TZ, Rudqvist N, Helou K, Forssell-Aronsson E. Effects of internal low-dose irradiation from 131I on gene expression in normal tissues in Balb/c mice. EJNMMI Res 1(1):29, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 22214497.
- Zhao W, Patil I, Han B, Yang Y, Xing L, Schüler E. Beam data modeling of linear accelerators (linacs) through machine learning and its potential applications in fast and robust linac commissioning and quality assurance. Radiother Oncol. PMID: 33039427.
- Forssell-Aronsson E, Shuler E, Ahlman H. Advances in the diagnostic imaging of pheochromocytoma. Reports in Med Imag 4:19-27. e-Pub 2011.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | MD Anderson Radiation Oncology Strategic Initiatives (ROSI) “Shark Tank” Award |
| Funding Source: | University of Texas MD Anderson |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Optimization of FLASH-RT for Maximal Reduction of Gastrointestinal Toxicity |
| Funding Source: | MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Role: | Principal Investigator-MDACC |
| Title: | Enhanced Therapeutic Ratio through Oxygen Controlled FLASH Radiotherapy |
| Funding Source: | MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |