Dr. Jacek Capala, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Dr. Jacek Capala joined the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD) in 2011. He oversees a portfolio of research grants in the field of Radiopharmaceutical Therapy (RPT) and its combination with other treatment modalities. He also provides medical physics expertise for NCI-funded RPT clinical trials and works with academia, relevant professional societies, industry, and government agencies on development of tools and procedures for RPT dosimetry and treatment planning.
Dr. Capala received his Ph.D., from Uppsala University, Sweden. His Ph.D., thesis work focused on using EGFR as a target for delivery of radioactivity to tumor cells. As a post-doctoral fellow at Ohio State University, he developed EGFR-targeted nanoparticles (starburst dendrimers) for drug delivery. Next, Dr. Capala moved to the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, where he contributed to the design of clinical trials of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and was responsible for medical physics aspects of these trials. His accomplishments in the US resulted in an advanced academic degree (DSc) awarded by Uppsala University and an invitation to start a new BNCT research program, including clinical trials, back in Sweden. In 2004, Dr. Capala returned to the US and joined Intramural NCI Program, where he initiated and led a multidisciplinary project to develop an individualized approach to treatment of HER2-positive cancers. His team developed molecular probes for in-vitro and in-vivo monitoring of HER2 expression and, for therapy, a novel class of HER2-specific cytotoxic molecules combining HER2-specific Affibody as a targeting moiety and pseudomonas exotoxin A as a cell killing agent.
Education
- D.Sc., Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Ph.D., Biophysics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- M.Sc., Medical Physics, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland