Caius G. Radu MD

Caius G. Radu, MD, a Professor in the Departments of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and Surgery at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), also co-directs the Cancer Molecular Imaging, Nanotechnology, and Theranostics Research Program (CMINT) at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Radu is a Co-founder of Sofie Biosciences and Trethera Corporation. After obtaining his MD from the University of Medicine in Craiova, Romania, Dr. Radu completed postdoctoral training in immunology and cancer biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and at UCLA, where he was mentored by Owen Witte, MD.

Dr. Radu’s group focuses on understanding the critical interplay between metabolic, signal transduction, and immune networks in cancer. His research includes exploring novel mechanisms that regulate nucleotide metabolism in cancer and immune cells and advancing nucleoside imaging probes as biomarkers of immune activation. The potential of the program is demonstrated by recent work which uncovered a new role for the nucleoside salvage pathway in hematopoiesis, identified a metabolic kinase as a new therapeutic target, developed new Positron Emission Tomography probes for nucleotide metabolism, several of which have been successfully translated to the clinic, and discovered novel small molecule inhibitors of deoxycytidine kinase, from which a clinical candidate compound with low nanomolar affinity and oral bioavailability has emerged with indications in selected cancers and autoimmune disorders, and has entered clinical trials.

Dr. Radu’s ongoing efforts are centered on pharmacologically modulating the tumor immune microenvironment by targeting oncogenic drivers and developing a novel mRNA cancer vaccine platform, with the aim of translating these advancements into clinical applications.