Xiankai Sun

Xiankai Sun is Professor of Radiology and a key faculty member at the Advanced Imaging Research Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He also serves as Director of the Cyclotron & Radiochemistry Program and is a member of the Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, contributing significantly to translational and clinical imaging research.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Wuhan University
• Master of Science in Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
• Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry, University of New Hampshire (Advisor: Edward H. Wong)
• Postdoctoral Training, Washington University School of Medicine (Mentors: Michael J. Welch, Carolyn J. Anderson)

Dr. Sun's research focuses on the design and synthesis of molecular imaging probes and therapeutic agents, particularly using radioisotopomers for metabolic imaging. His work leverages biocompatible scaffolds for multipresentation of molecular functionalities, enabling early detection and intervention in diseases such as cancer and diabetes. His expertise lies at the intersection of chemistry, radiology, and biomedical engineering.

His scientific contributions are supported by major funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). He plays a pivotal role in advancing preclinical and clinical PET imaging, particularly through hybrid PET/MRI technologies for both adult and pediatric applications.

Scientific Honors:

• Dr. Jack Krohmer Professorship in Radiation Physics

Dr. Sun advises graduate students through the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program and leads the Cyclotron & Radiochemistry Program, ensuring the production of novel radiotracers for research. He co-directs the Preclinical Nuclear Imaging Laboratory with Orhan K. Öz, M.D., Ph.D., which houses advanced small animal imaging systems including the Siemens Inveon PET/CT and BioScan NanoSPECT/CT Plus, enabling high-resolution molecular imaging in disease models.