Sixiang Shi

Sixiang Shi, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Radiology & Imaging Sciences , Adjunct - Molecular Pharmaceutics

Academic Office Information

sixiang.shi@utah.edu

Lab

Dr. Sixiang Shi received his PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016 and completed his postdoctoral fellowship from MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2020. He shortly worked in the Department of Health Technology and Informatics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as an Assistant Professor in 2021. He joined the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at the University of Utah in August 2022. So far, he has published >40 papers (>3800 citations, h-index: 33), in top journals such as ACS Nano, Angewandte Chemie, Biomaterials, JNM, Nature Nanotechnology, among others. Dr. Shi serves as Associate Editor for Journal of Nanobiotechnology, Editorial Member for Journal of Functional Biomaterials, and reviewer for more than 20 journals, scientific societies, grants agencies and conferences. Dr. Shi has received multiple awards and honors for his research and scholarship, including the SNMMI Ones to Watch 2020, which recognizes most promising researchers worldwide in the fields of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.

Dr. Shi 's research interests include:

1. Application of advanced molecular imaging techniques (PET/CT, optics, optoacoustic imaging, etc.) in cancer, regenerative medicine and other diseases;
2. Development of innovative nanomedicine and natural biomaterials for personalized theranostics;
3. Development of novel radiochemistry and targeted radiotherapy for refractory diseases;
4. Utilizing advanced imaging tools to understand the biological unknowns in tumor microenvironment, metastasis, immunology, etc.

Education History

Undergraduate Xi¿an Jiaotong University
 BS
Graduate Training University of Wisconsin¿Madison
 PhD
Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
 Postdoctoral Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Shi S, Yang K, Hong H, Valdovinos HF, Nayak TR, Zhang Y, Theuer CP, Barnhart TE, Liu Z, Cai W (2013). Tumor vasculature targeting and imaging in living mice with reduced graphene oxide. Biomaterials, 34(12), 3002-9.
  2. Guo J, Hong H, Chen G, Shi S, Zheng Q, Zhang Y, Theuer CP, Barnhart TE, Cai W, Gong S (2013). Image-guided and tumor-targeted drug delivery with radiolabeled unimolecular micelles. Biomaterials, 34(33), 8323-8332.
  3. Chen F, Hong H, Zhang Y, Valdovinos HF, Shi S, Kwon GS, Theuer CP, Barnhart TE, Cai W (2013). In vivo tumor targeting and image-guided drug delivery with antibody-conjugated, radiolabeled mesoporous silica nanoparticles. ACS Nano, 7(10), 9027-39.
  4. Chen F, Ellison PA, Lewis CM, Hong H, Zhang Y, Shi S, Hernandez R, Meyerand ME, Barnhart TE, Cai W (2013). Chelator-free synthesis of a dual-modality PET/MRI agent. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl, 52(50), 13319-23.
  5. Guo J, Hong H, Chen G, Shi S, Nayak TR, Theuer CP, Barnhart TE, Cai W, Gong S (2014). Theranostic unimolecular micelles based on brush-shaped amphiphilic block copolymers for tumor-targeted drug delivery and positron emission tomography imaging. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 6(24), 21769-79.
  6. Chen F, Hong H, Shi S, Goel S, Valdovinos HF, Hernandez R, Theuer CP, Barnhart TE, Cai W (2014). Engineering of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles for remarkably enhanced tumor active targeting efficacy. Sci Rep, 4, 5080.
  7. Zhang Y, Jeon M, Rich LJ, Hong H, Geng J, Zhang Y, Shi S, Barnhart TE, Alexandridis P, Huizinga JD, Seshadri M, Cai W, Kim C, Lovell JF (2014). Non-invasive multimodal functional imaging of the intestine with frozen micellar naphthalocyanines. Nat Nanotechnol, 9(8), 631-8.
  8. Hong H, Nayak TR, Shi S, Graves SA, Fliss BC, Barnhart TE, Cai W (2014). Generation and screening of monoclonal antibodies for immunoPET imaging of IGF1R in prostate cancer. Mol Pharm, 11(10), 3624-30.
  9. Goel S, Chen F, Hong H, Valdovinos HF, Hernandez R, Shi S, Barnhart TE, Cai W (2014). VEGF¿¿¿-conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticle: a tumor targeted drug delivery system. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 6(23), 21677-85.
  10. Shi S, Yang K, Hong H, Chen F, Valdovinos HF, Goel S, Barnhart TE, Liu Z, Cai W (2015). VEGFR targeting leads to significantly enhanced tumor uptake of nanographene oxide in vivo. Biomaterials, 39, 39-46.
  11. Liu T, Shi S, Liang C, Shen S, Cheng L, Wang C, Song X, Goel S, Barnhart TE, Cai W, Liu Z (2015). Iron oxide decorated MoS2 nanosheets with double PEGylation for chelator-free radiolabeling and multimodal imaging guided photothermal therapy. ACS Nano, 9(1), 950-60.
  12. Hong H, Yan Y, Shi S, Graves SA, Krasteva LK, Nickles RJ, Yang M, Cai W (2015). PET of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor: broad applicability to cancer imaging. Mol Pharm, 12(2), 403-10.
  13. Shi S, Hong H, Orbay H, Graves SA, Yang Y, Ohman JD, Liu B, Nickles RJ, Wong HC, Cai W (2015). ImmunoPET of tissue factor expression in triple-negative breast cancer with a radiolabeled antibody Fab fragment. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging, 42(8), 1295-303.
  14. Luo H, Hong H, Slater MR, Graves SA, Shi S, Yang Y, Nickles RJ, Fan F, Cai W (2015). PET of c-Met in Cancer with ¿¿Cu-Labeled Hepatocyte Growth Factor. J Nucl Med, 56(5), 758-63.
  15. Chen F, Hong H, Goel S, Graves SA, Orbay H, Ehlerding EB, Shi S, Theuer CP, Nickles RJ, Cai W (2015). In Vivo Tumor Vasculature Targeting of CuS@MSN Based Theranostic Nanomedicine. ACS Nano, 9(4), 3926-34.
  16. Shi S, Orbay H, Yang Y, Graves SA, Nayak TR, Hong H, Hernandez R, Luo H, Goel S, Theuer CP, Nickles RJ, Cai W (2015). PET Imaging of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm with 64Cu-Labeled Anti-CD105 Antibody Fab Fragment. J Nucl Med, 56(6), 927-32.
  17. Shi S, Fliss BC, Gu Z, Zhu Y, Hong H, Valdovinos HF, Hernandez R, Goel S, Luo H, Chen F, Barnhart TE, Nickles RJ, Xu ZP, Cai W (2015). Chelator-Free Labeling of Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoparticles for in Vivo PET Imaging. Sci Rep, 5, 16930.
  18. Rhode PR, Egan JO, Xu W, Hong H, Webb GM, Chen X, Liu B, Zhu X, Wen J, You L, Kong L, Edwards AC, Han K, Shi S, Alter S, Sacha JB, Jeng EK, Cai W, Wong HC (2016). Comparison of the Superagonist Complex, ALT-803, to IL15 as Cancer Immunotherapeutics in Animal Models. Cancer Immunol Res, 4(1), 49-60.
  19. Xu C, Shi S, Feng L, Chen F, Graves SA, Ehlerding EB, Goel S, Sun H, England CG, Nickles RJ, Liu Z, Wang T, Cai W (2016). Long circulating reduced graphene oxide-iron oxide nanoparticles for efficient tumor targeting and multimodality imaging. Nanoscale, 8(25), 12683-92.
  20. Luo H, England CG, Shi S, Graves SA, Hernandez R, Liu B, Theuer CP, Wong HC, Nickles RJ, Cai W (2016). Dual Targeting of Tissue Factor and CD105 for Preclinical PET Imaging of Pancreatic Cancer. Clin Cancer Res, 22(15), 3821-30.
  21. Chen F, Goel S, Hernandez R, Graves SA, Shi S, Nickles RJ, Cai W (2016). Dynamic Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Renal Clearable Gold Nanoparticles. Small, 12(20), 2775-82.
  22. Cheng L, Shen S, Shi S, Yi Y, Wang X, Song G, Yang K, Liu G, Barnhart TE, Cai W, Liu Z (2016). FeSe2-Decorated Bi2Se3 Nanosheets Fabricated via Cation Exchange for Chelator-Free 64Cu-labeling and Multimodal Image-Guided Photothermal-Radiation Therapy. Adv Funct Mater, 26(13), 2185-2197.
  23. Goel S, Chen F, Luan S, Valdovinos HF, Shi S, Graves SA, Ai F, Barnhart TE, Theuer CP, Cai W (2016). Engineering Intrinsically Zirconium-89 Radiolabeled Self-Destructing Mesoporous Silica Nanostructures for In Vivo Biodistribution and Tumor Targeting Studies. Adv Sci (Weinh), 3(11), 1600122.
  24. Liu B, Kong L, Han K, Hong H, Marcus WD, Chen X, Jeng EK, Alter S, Zhu X, Rubinstein MP, Shi S, Rhode PR, Cai W, Wong HC (2016). A Novel Fusion of ALT-803 (Interleukin (IL)-15 Superagonist) with an Antibody Demonstrates Antigen-specific Antitumor Responses. J Biol Chem, 291(46), 23869-23881.
  25. Shi S, Xu C, Yang K, Goel S, Valdovinos HF, Luo H, Ehlerding EB, England CG, Cheng L, Chen F, Nickles RJ, Liu Z, Cai W (2017). Chelator-Free Radiolabeling of Nanographene: Breaking the Stereotype of Chelation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl, 56(11), 2889-2892.
  26. Zhan Y, Shi S, Ehlerding EB, Graves SA, Goel S, Engle JW, Liang J, Tian J, Cai W (2017). Radiolabeled, Antibody-Conjugated Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles for Tumor Vasculature Targeted Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 9(44), 38304-38312.
  27. Liu B, Jones M, Kong L, Noel T, Jeng EK, Shi S, England CG, Alter S, Miller JS, Cai W, Rhode PR, Wong HC (2018). Evaluation of the biological activities of the IL-15 superagonist complex, ALT-803, following intravenous versus subcutaneous administration in murine models. Cytokine, 107, 105-112.
  28. Zhan Y, Ehlerding EB, Shi S, Graves SA, Goel S, Engle JW, Liang J, Cai W (2018). Intrinsically Zirconium-89-Labeled Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles for In Vivo Dual-Modality Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. J Biomed Nanotechnol, 14(5), 900-909.
  29. Chen F, Goel S, Shi S, Barnhart TE, Lan X, Cai W (2018). General synthesis of silica-based yolk/shell hybrid nanomaterials and in vivo tumor vasculature targeting. Nano Res, 11(9), 4890-4904.
  30. Wang D, Shi R, Zhou J, Shi S, Wu H, Xu P, Wang H, Xia G, Barnhart TE, Cai W, Guo Z, Chen Q (2018). Photo-Enhanced Singlet Oxygen Generation of Prussian Blue-Based Nanocatalyst for Augmented Photodynamic Therapy. iScience, 9, 14-26.
  31. Shi S, Chen F, Goel S, Graves SA, Luo H, Theuer CP, Engle JW, Cai W (2018). In Vivo Tumor-Targeted Dual-Modality PET/Optical Imaging with a Yolk/Shell-Structured Silica Nanosystem. Nanomicro Lett, 10(4), 65.
  32. Cui L, Xiong C, Zhou M, Shi S, Chow DS, Li C (2018). Integrin αvβ3-Targeted [64Cu]CuS Nanoparticles for PET/CT Imaging and Photothermal Ablation Therapy. Bioconjug Chem, 29(12), 4062-4071.
  33. Miyake M, Furuya H, Onishi S, Hokutan K, Anai S, Chan O, Shi S, Fujimoto K, Goodison S, Cai W, Rosser CJ (2019). Monoclonal Antibody against CXCL1 (HL2401) as a Novel Agent in Suppressing IL6 Expression and Tumoral Growth. Theranostics, 9(3), 853-867.
  34. Shi S, Wen X, Li T, Wen X, Cao Q, Liu X, Liu Y, Pagel MD, Li C (2019). Thermosensitive Biodegradable Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles for Real-Time Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography. ACS Appl Bio Mater, 2(8), 3203-3211.
  35. Shi S, Li T, Wen X, Wu SY, Xiong C, Zhao J, Lincha VR, Chow DS, Liu Y, Sood AK, Li C (2019). Copper-64 Labeled PEGylated Exosomes for In Vivo Positron Emission Tomography and Enhanced Tumor Retention. Bioconjug Chem, 30(10), 2675-2683.
  36. Cao Q, Wang W, Zhou M, Huang Q, Wen X, Zhao J, Shi S, Geng K, Li F, Hatakeyama H, Xu C, Piwnica-Worms D, Peng W, Zhou D, Sood AK, Li C (2020). Induction of antitumor immunity in mice by the combination of nanoparticle-based photothermolysis and anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibition. Nanomedicine, 25, 102169.
  37. Zhao J, Wen X, Li T, Shi S, Xiong C, Wang YA, Li C (2020). Concurrent Injection of Unlabeled Antibodies Allows Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 Expression in an Orthotopic Pancreatic Tumor Model. ACS Omega, 5(15), 8474-8482.
  38. Luo H, Yang C, Kuang D, Shi S, Chan AW (2022). Visualizing dynamic changes in PD-L1 expression in non-small cell lung carcinoma with radiolabeled recombinant human PD-1.(Epub ahead of print). Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging.
  39. Singh N, Xia W, Need E, McManus K, Huang J, Shi S, Goel (2025). Tumor agnostic ultrasmall nanoprobes for fluorescence-guided surgical resection in peritoneal metastasis. European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, 52(3), 1149-1165.
  40. Liu Y, Ahumada AL, Bayraktar E, Schwartz P, Chowdhury M, Shi S, Sebastian MM, Khant H, de Val N, Bayram NN, Zhang G, Vu TC, Jie Z, Jennings NB, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Swain J, Stur E, Mangala LS, Wu Y, Nagaraju S, Ermias B, Li C, Lopez-Berestein G, Braam J, Sood A (2023). Enhancing oral delivery of plant-derived vesicles for colitis. Journal of controlled release, 357, 472-483.
  41. Xia W, Goff M, Schiavone C, Singh N, Huang J, Need E, Cave J, Gillespie DL, Jensen RL, Pagel MD, Dogra P, Shi S, Goel (2025). Image-Guided Targeting of Mitochondrial Metabolism Sensitizes Pediatric Malignant Rhabdoid Tumors to Low Dose Radiotherapy. Science advances, 11,

Review

  1. Shi S, Chen F, Cai W (2013). Biomedical applications of functionalized hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles: focusing on molecular imaging. [Review]. Nanomedicine (Lond), 8, (12), 2027-39.
  2. Shi S, Chen F, Ehlerding EB, Cai W (2014). Surface engineering of graphene-based nanomaterials for biomedical applications. [Review]. Bioconjug Chem, 25, (9), 1609-19.
  3. Li T, Shi S, Goel S, Shen X, Xie X, Chen Z, Zhang H, Li S, Qin X, Yang H, Wu C, Liu Y (2019). Recent advancements in mesoporous silica nanoparticles towards therapeutic applications for cancer. [Review]. Acta Biomater, 89, 1-13.
  4. Singh N, Shi S, Goel (2023). Ultrasmall silica nanoparticles in translational biomedical research: Overview and outlook. Advanced drug delivery reviews, 192, 114638.
  5. Xia W, Singh N, Goel S, Shi (2023). Molecular imaging of innate immunity and immunotherapy. Advanced drug delivery reviews, 198, 114865.

Editorial

  1. Shi S, Goel S, Lan X, Cai W (2021). ImmunoPET of CD38 with a radiolabeled nanobody: promising for clinical translation. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging, 48(9), 2683-2686.
  2. Goel S, Shi (2022). Promise of hypoxia-targeted tracers in metastatic lymph node imaging. European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, 49(13), 4293-4297.