David Wilson

David Wilson, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), School of Medicine. He serves as the Lead of Chemistry, Probes, and Molecular Therapy (CPMT) and holds roles in the Neuroradiology division and the Center for Molecular and Functional Imaging (CMFI). His expertise lies in molecular imaging, particularly using PET and hyperpolarized 13C spectroscopy, with a focus on cancer and infectious disease detection. Wilson’s research develops novel probes for brain and tumor imaging, including agents for hyperpolarized MRI and bacteria-specific metabolic pathway targeting. He has pioneered studies on ACE2 suppression in SARS-CoV-2 and imaging infection via D-alanine tracers.

Education: B.S. in Biochemistry from Harvard University (1996 Magna Cum Laude), M.D./Ph.D. from Columbia University (2004), followed by radiology residency and neuroradiology fellowship at UCSF. Notable awards include the Margulis Society Research Award (2009) and NIH grants as Principal Investigator.

Research activities span over 40 NIH-funded projects, including ACE2-targeted PET radiotracers and immune cell activity imaging. His labs (Wilson Lab, Hyperpolarized MRI Resource Center) focus on advancing imaging technologies for clinical translation. Key collaborations involve co-authors like Robert Flavell and Michael Ohliger, with publications in JACS Au, Nuclear Medicine and Biology, and ACS Central Science.