Robert Gillies, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Cancer Physiology and vice chair of Radiology Research at Moffitt Cancer Center, was awarded the World Molecular Imaging Society's highest honor. The 2018 Gold Medal Award recognizes his contributions to the field of molecular imaging. The award was presented to Gillies earlier this month at the World Molecular Imaging Congress in Seattle.
Gillies' career successes have led to new understandings of the development and progression of cancer, as well as new cancer treatment options. His research approach focuses on one theme -- understanding cancers as complex, heterogeneous and dynamic systems. This has allowed him and his team to investigate cancer through multiple approaches including radiomics and cellular biology.
His most recent work, published in Nature Communications, provides insight on how the metabolism and pH environments inside and outside of cancer cells contribute to disease growth. Further study in this area, including lowering the pH inside cells, could lead to new therapeutic approaches.
Gillies joined Moffitt in 2008. He has received numerous awards, including Moffitt's Researcher of the Year in 2012. He is a past president of the World Molecular Imaging Society and founding member and chair of the Molecular Imaging study section at the National Institutes of Health.
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