Johannes Czernin

Department Vice Chair, Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles

Professor, Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles

Professor, Medicine, University of California Los Angeles

(310) 206-3226

Office Address:
AR-243 CHS, 10833 LeConte Ave
Campus - 694215
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Work Address:
B114 Suite, 200 Medical Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Websites

Ahmanson Division Website

Health System

UC Profile

Affiliations

Director, Nuclear Medicine Clinic, Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography
Associate Director, JCCC Cancer Molecular Imaging
Member, Cardiology, DOE Funded Faculty, I3T Theme, Molecular Pharmacology GPB Home Area
Faculty, Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging

Research Interests

Dr. Johannes Czernin got his MD in Medicine from the University of Vienna, Austria in 1983. He is currently Chief of the Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology/Nuclear Medicine, and Vice-Chair of the Department at the University of California, School of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology. Dr. Czernin and his colleague Dr. Caius Radu have established an exciting and well funded research environment, the Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division which has grown substantially over the last several years and consists of the Nuclear Medicine Clinic, a Clinical Imaging Research Program, and a new preclinical imaging center. The success of the Division is based on extensive collaborations within the department of molecular and medical pharmacology and across several other departments including medicine, surgery, radiology, neurology, pathology and others. Dr. Czernin in his capacity of Division chief is responsible for multiple clinic sites within the UCLA Medical Enterprise. The total number of clinical and research PET/CT scans performed approaches 4500/year. Conventional nuclear medicine services are offered at both Westwood and Santa Monica hospitals for more than 10,000 patients/year, cardiac imaging sites in Santa Monica and Westwood serve close to 3,000 patients/year. Significant portions of the clinical revenue are invested in research programs within and outside the division. Dr. Czernin was the President of the Academy of Molecular Imaging for 2 years and has been on the board of the Academy for the past 6 years. Over the past three years Dr. Czernin has been designed and serves as the Principal Investigator of a large multicenter trial of 18F-NaF for imaging of bone metastases that is sponsored by the World Molecular Imaging Society. This on-going clinical trial includes 19 sites world- and 400 patients have been enrolled. The data from this trial will be used to help CMS and other payers make decisions about coverage for 18F-Sodium Fluoride for bone imaging in cancer patients.

Biography

The major focus of this team research is the development of a translational theranostics program and the identification of effective combination between radioligand therapies and pharmacologic approaches. The current focus is prostate cancer to improve the results of radionuclide (radioligand) therapies that requires an understanding of resistance mechanisms that limit the effectiveness of theranostic approaches. To address these issues the Ahmanson Translational Theranostics Division encompasses in vitro, animal experimental and clinical research and focuses on translating in vitro findings into in vivo applications. Available research tools include among others Mass Spcetrometers for proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses; preclinical PET/CT and bioluminescence imaging; wet labs, a cell culture lab, and a vivarium.

Publications