Evans Lab
The Evans Lab conducts translational research at the intersection of chemical biology and nuclear medicine, with a focus on developing new imaging tools and therapies for human disease. By combining molecular discovery approaches with nuclear imaging and radiopharmaceutical science, the lab works to bridge basic biological insights and clinical application. Our research emphasizes biomarker discovery and translation, primarily in oncology, and is driven by close collaboration with experts across radiochemistry, biomedical engineering, radiology, and medical oncology. Located at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus, the Evans Lab is an interdisciplinary training environment that brings together scientists from diverse backgrounds to address complex problems in imaging, diagnosis, and therapy.
About the Lab
Translational research at the interface of chemical biology and nuclear medicine
The scientific premise of the Evans lab is that there are natural, and largely untapped synergies between chemical biology and nuclear medicine. For instance, molecular profiling technologies developed, refined, and applied by chemical biologists (e.g. proteomics, metabolomics) routinely glean biological discoveries that can be exploited by the nuclear medicine community to improve the detection and treatment of major public health challenges. Conversely, researchers in nuclear medicine have the expertise to render new biological discoveries into translational tools for quantitatively studying biology in humans with nuclear imaging (e.g. PET, SPECT) and treating disease with therapeutic radioisotopes. In the Evans lab, we aim to breach this gap between chemical biology and nuclear medicine.
Research in the Evans laboratory is focused on new biomarker discovery and development for nuclear imaging and therapeutic applications, primarily in oncology. We are a lab of chemical biologists that interact closely with a diverse set of collaborators, including radiochemists, biomedical engineers, radiologists, and medical oncologists, to develop and translate into humans new imaging tools and therapies. Training opportunities in the lab are by nature interdisciplinary, and we recruit talented young scientists from a wide variety of disciplines to meet the special challenges embedded within the field of biomarker development. Our lab is located on the 5th floor of Genentech Hall on the Mission Bay campus of UCSF, a vibrant academic community in close proximity to several close collaborators (e.g. Professors Jim Wells, Charly Craik, Adam Renslo). Please continue to read below for several examples of projects at the interface of chemical biology and nuclear medicine.
Research
We have developed new technologies to image iron with positron emission tomography (PET) in an oxidation state specific fashion and conducted radiomic studies in animals and humans to…
The recent FDA approvals of Lutathera and Pluvicto, multiple billion dollar acquisitions of radiopharmaceutical companies (e.g. Rayzebio, Point Biopharma, Fusion Pharmaceuticals), and…
Recent FDA approvals (e.g. Lutathera, Pluvicto) and a swell of promising experimental agents in clinic trials underlie a surging enthusiasm for radioligand therapy (RLT) as a treatment…
The glucocorticoid receptor is a master regulator of normal physiology and its dysregulation is thought to drive the pathophysiology of many diseases, including mood disorders,…
We have developed new technologies to image iron with positron emission tomography (PET) in an oxidation state specific fashion and conducted radiomic studies in animals and humans to…
The recent success of inhibitors against immune checkpoint proteins (e.g. CTLA-4, PD-L1), which are thought in part to stimulate T cell responses against tumors, and chimeric antigen…
Publications
Examples of cover art from Evans lab publications. A complete list of Evans lab publications can be found at Michael Evans' page.
Financial Support
The Evans lab graciously accepts financial support from the following sources:
News
The Evans Lab is a leader in molecular imaging and translational cancer research, with a long track record of NIH and federal funding to develop and clinically translate novel PET radiotracers and theranostic strategies. The group’s work has produced high impact publications, multiple first in human clinical trials at UCSF, and national and international recognition through major awards and invited lectures. Together, these efforts advance precision imaging approaches to better diagnose disease, monitor therapy, and guide cancer treatment.
January: Apurva Pandey and collaborators in the Craik and Verba labs landed the cover art for the January 2025 issue of Cancer Research, Volume 85, Issue 2.
- May: Michael Evans received the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Inaugural Sam Gambhir, MD Trailblazer Award for transformative research and mentorship.
- April: Apurva Pandey received a speaker award at the UCSF Precision Imaging of Cancer and Therapy (PICT) retreat.
- January: The Evans Lab, in collaboration with Charles Craik and Rahul Aggarwal, received an NCI R01 titled “Maximizing tumor responses to targeted radiotherapy with a conditionally activated membrane binding probe.”
- October: Apurva Pandey received the Jeff and Loyd Zisk Young Investigator Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
- September: Michael Evans received the Roger Tsien Award for Excellence in Chemical Biology from the World Molecular Imaging Society. A recording of the plenary lecture.
- August: Shalini Chopra, Apurva Pandey, and Garima Arvikar were named Ones to Watch by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
- July: Michael Evans was promoted to Professor in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at UCSF.
- July: The Evans Lab received an NCI R01 titled “Combining immunotherapy with molecularly targeted radiation therapy,” in collaboration with Lawrence Fong and Rahul Aggarwal.
- June: Shalini Chopra received a Young Investigator Prize at SNMMI for work on imaging granzyme biochemistry in CAR T cell immunotherapy.
- June: Shalini Chopra co authored a paper in ACS Central Science on targeted radionuclide therapies.
- May: A first in human clinical trial opened at UCSF evaluating 64Cu GRIP B as a marker of antitumor immunity. Details about this clinical trial.
- April: Shalini Chopra published a first author paper in Clinical Cancer Research on theranostic targeting of CDCP1 in bladder cancer, featured on the journal cover and highlighted by multiple outlets.
- January: Press release from Urotoday
- October: Apurva Pandey received a poster prize at the World Molecular Imaging Congress.
- July: The Evans Lab received a Translational Science Award from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs for Granzyme B PET imaging in prostate cancer.
- May: Yangjie Huang received the Alavi Mandell Award for work published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
- January: The Evans Lab received an American Cancer Society Mission Boost Award to translate 18F TRX into cancer patients.
- July: Ning Zhao was named Ones to Watch by SNMMI.
- July: The Evans Lab published “Ferronostics” in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
- July: The Evans Lab received a pilot grant from the Benioff Institute for Prostate Cancer Research.
- July: The Evans Lab received a four year NIBIB R01 on Fe(II) detection for nuclear medicine applications.
- June: The Evans Lab received a UCSF REAC award for radiochemistry equipment.
- June: The Evans Lab received a CDMRP Idea Development Award to develop CDCP1 as a theranostic target.
- May: A clinical trial evaluating 11C YJH08 PET in prostate cancer patients opened at UCSF.
- April: The Evans Lab received an NIAID R01 on radiotracers for immune cell mobilization.
- February: The Evans Lab received an NCI R01 titled “Precision targeting of T cell cytotoxicity with PET.”
- December: A paper on PD L1 PET imaging appeared in Molecular Imaging and Biology.
- November: Shalini Chopra received an award at the Society of Nuclear Medicine India annual meeting.
- August: Yangjie Huang and Junnian Wei accepted faculty appointments in China.
- July: Michael Evans received a Dean’s Apple Award from the UCSF School of Pharmacy.
- June: Michael Evans presented work on CDCP1 radioligand therapy at a national oncology session.
- June: Michael Evans received the Distinguished Investigator Award from the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research.
- June: The Evans Lab received a CDMRP Idea Expansion Award for glucocorticoid receptor imaging.
- May: Yangjie Huang published work on 11C YJH08 PET in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
- April: Multiple first author publications appeared in ACS Chemical Biology and Clinical Cancer Research.
- March: Evans Lab research was highlighted by ASBMB Today.
- January: The Evans Lab received a Marcus Program grant to develop PET biomarkers of immune activation.
- December: The Evans Lab received a grant from the LAM Foundation to study iron dysregulation with PET.
- January: “Imaging PD L1 expression with immunoPET” was recognized as a top five most read article in Bioconjugate Chemistry.
- January: “Imaging PD L1 expression with immunoPET” was featured on the cover of Bioconjugate Chemistry.
- January: An eLife paper describing PET based detection of KRAS driven cancers was published and widely covered. This work has been highlighted by several news outlets:
- December: A paper on transferrin based PET imaging was selected for the Molecular Cancer Research Must Read Collection.
- November: The Evans Lab received an NIMH R01 to develop fluorine 18 labeled radioligands for CNS disorders.
- November: The Evans Lab received a Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance research grant.
- September: Evans Lab PET biomarker research was featured by the CDMRP.
- June: The Evans Lab received an American Brain Tumor Association Discovery Award.
- April: Multiple trainees received fellowships and graduate admissions.
- April: The Evans Lab received an American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award.
- January: Matthew Parker received a Department of Defense postdoctoral fellowship.
- January: Evans Lab research was featured as a Translational Article in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
- January 2016: Charles Truillet received a Department of Defense postdoctoral fellowship.
- Evans lab article recognized as "Editor's Choice" in Molecular Pharmaceutics - American Chemical Society
- 2015 SNMMI Highlights Lecture, Part 1
- Non-Invasive Biomarkers For Prostate Cancer
- New Imaging Agent Could Improve Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
- Transferrin PET Project
Opportunities
Post-doctoral Opportunities
The Evans lab is currently seeking exceptional candidates for a postdoctoral appointment focusing on new probe development for nuclear theranostics and studying tumor immunology.
Interested candidates should contact Dr. Evans directly and provide a copy of their CV and references at michael.evans@ucsf.edu.
Graduate Students
Dr. Evans is a member of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology graduate program and the Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics graduate program at UCSF. The lab is openly accepting students. Students interested in rotations should contact Dr. Evans directly via email.
Staff
Employment Opportunities for staff positions are posted through the UCSF employment websites.
Lab Members
Alumni
- Charles Truillet, PhD
- Thesis advisor: Olivier Tillement, PhD, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
- Postdoctoral fellow, CDMRP Prostate Cancer Research Program
- Tenure: 2014–2017
- Publications: 23 total, 5 first author
- Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Imaging, Atomic Energy Commission, France
- Matthew Parker, PhD
- Thesis advisor: Christian Schafmeister, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
- Postdoctoral fellow, CDMRP Prostate Cancer Research Program
- Tenure: 2015–2017
- Publications: 5 total, 1 co-first author
- Current position: Assistant Researcher, David Wilson Lab, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, UCSF
- Yangjie Huang, PhD
- Thesis advisor: Zhiqiang Weng, PhD, Fuzhou University
- Tenure: 2017–2020
- Publications: 6 total, 2 first author
- Current position: Distinguished Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Minjiang University, China
- Junnian Wei, PhD
- Thesis advisor: Zhenfeng Xi, PhD, Peking University
- Tenure: 2017–2020
- Publications: 12 total, 2 first author
- Current position: Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Peking University, China
- Ning Zhao, PhD
- Thesis advisors: Kevin Smith, PhD and Graca Vicente, PhD, Louisiana State University
- Postdoctoral fellow, CDMRP Prostate Cancer Research Program
- Tenure: 2018–2021
- Publications: 8 total, 4 first author
- Honors: Named 2021 “Ones to Watch” by the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
- Zhuo Chen, PhD
- BS: Materials Chemistry, Tianjin University, China
- MS: Chemistry (polymer science), University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA
- PhD: Chemistry, University of Texas at Dallas (Advisor: Jeremiah Gassensmith)
- Expertise: virus-like particles, stimuli-responsive drug delivery, fluorescence imaging, nanoparticle therapeutics, bioconjugation chemistry, organic synthesis
- Publications: Co-author on 8 manuscripts (Small, Bioconjugate Chemistry, Chemical Communications)
- Shalini Chopra, PhD
- BSc (Hons): Biophysics, Panjab University, India
- MSc: Nuclear Medicine, Panjab University, India
- PhD: Biophysics, Panjab University (Supervisor: Dr. Baljinder Singh, PGIMER)
- DAAD Fellow: Technical University of Munich (Mentor: Hans-Jürgen Wester)
- Expertise: molecular imaging, radiolabeling, conjugation strategies, tracer development
- Publications: Applied Radiation and Isotopes; Cancer Biotherapies and Radiopharmaceuticals
- Hyunjung Kim, PhD
- BS: Chemistry, Korea University
- MS: Organic Chemistry (Bioorganic Medicinal Chemistry), Yonsei University
- PhD: Health Sciences and Technology (Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry), Sungkyunkwan University (Advisor: Yearn Seong Choe)
- Expertise: molecular probes for brain and tumor angiogenesis (PET and PET/optical imaging)
- Publications: 7 manuscripts (ACS Chemical Neuroscience, Scientific Reports)
- Peng Wen Tan, PhD
- BSc (Hons): Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- DPhil: Organic Chemistry, University of Oxford (Advisors: Darren J. Dixon; Jayasree Seayad)
- Training: Radiochemistry, Institute of Bioengineering and BioImaging, Singapore
- Expertise: transition metal catalysis, total synthesis, molecular imaging probes
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Faraaz Aziz
Third-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley majoring in chemistry. Joined the Evans lab in June 2024 and has worked with postdocs on the synthesis of small molecules. After graduation he hopes to go to medical school. Outside of academics, Faraaz enjoys cooking and playing the violin as part of the UC Berkeley Philharmonic Orchestra.
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Sasank Sakhamuri
MSBI program, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, UCSF.
- Loc Huynh
- Affiliation: College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
- Tenure: 2015–2017
- Publications: 5 total
- Current position: PhD candidate (Chemistry), Michael Harris Lab, University of Florida, FL
- Khaled Jami
- Affiliation: College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
- Tenure: 2016–2017
- Publications: 2 total
- Current position: PhD candidate (Chemistry), Dylan Murray Lab, University of California Davis, CA
- Nhan Dang
- Affiliation: College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
- Tenure: 2017
- Current position: MD candidate
- Sophie Shen
- Affiliation: College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
- Tenure: 2017–2018
- Publications: 2 total
- Current position: PharmD candidate, UCSF School of Pharmacy
- Julia K. Lee
- Affiliation: College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
- Tenure: 2017–2018
- Publications: 1 total
- Current position: PharmD candidate, UCSF School of Pharmacy
- Suzanna Tom
- Affiliation: College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
- Tenure: 2018
- Current position: MD candidate, University of South Florida, FL
- Kayla Panora
- Affiliation: College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley
- Tenure: 2018
- Current position: Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Abbott Laboratories, CA
- Mariaelena Nabors
- Program: Amgen Summer Scholars Program, University of Kansas
- Tenure: 2019
- Current position: PhD candidate (Biomedical and Biological Sciences), Jen Jen Yeh Lab, UNC Chapel Hill, NC
- Nicole Nagayama
- Affiliation: St. Mary’s College, CA
- Tenure: 2020
- Current position: Undergraduate, St. Mary’s College, CA
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Ningjing (Nora) Zhang
Affiliation information pending.
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Alice Whitehurst
Graduate from the MS Biomedical Imaging (MSBI) program in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at UCSF. Earned a BS in Biological Sciences with an emphasis on Microbiology and Immunology (2022) from UC Merced. Interested in radiochemistry and gaining skills for in vivo and in vitro studies in the Evans lab.
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Fiona Quimby
Honors graduate from Saint Mary’s College of California with a BS in Biology. Works as a Junior Research Associate in the Evans lab and gains clinical experience as a medical assistant at a local private practice.
- Garima Arvikar, PhD
- Associate Specialist
- Christopher Drake, PhD
- Role: Assistant Researcher
- Tenure: 2014–2016
- Publications: 2 total (1 first and co-corresponding author)
- Current position: Director of Radiopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing, SOFIEBIO, Culver City, CA
- Nima Hooshdaran
- Staff Research Associate
- Lisa Wu, PhD
- Role: Assistant Specialist
- Tenure: 2015–2016
- Current position: Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, San Francisco State University, CA
- Leila Ranis, MS
- Role: Staff Research Associate
- Tenure: 2016–2017
- Current position: Senior Scientist, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA
- Yung-hua Wang
- Role: Junior Specialist
- Tenure: 2017–2021
- Publications: 13 total (1 co-first author)
- Current position: Assistant Specialist, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA
- Nicholas Young
- Year: 2019
- Program: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Jacqueline Weaver
- Year: 2019
- Program: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Robert Amongre
- Year: 2020
- Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics
- Jesus Madrigal
- Year: 2020
- Program: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Brandon Chew
- Year: 2020
- Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics
- Tom Li
- Year: 2023
- Program: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Jayla Crawford
- Year: 2023
- Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics
- Luke Jaskowski
- Year: 2023
- Program: Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Contact Us
Evans Lab
Genentech Hall, UCSF Mission Bay campus
600 16th Street, N552
San Francisco, CA 94158
Michael Evans, PhD
Principal Investigator
Ph: (415) 353-3442
Fax: (415) 353-9425
Michael.Evans@ucsf.edu