Kelsey Paige Kubelick

GetPhoto.ashx?photo=ekp3an_11595

Primary Appointment

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Education

  • BA, Biological Sciences, University of Chicago
  • MEng, Biomedical Engineering, Duke University
  • PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Research Disciplines

Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Cancer Biology, Cardiovascular Biology, Global Health, Immunology, Materials Science, Neuroscience

Research Interests

Development of theranostic ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging strategies, augmented with nanotechnology, to understand, guide, or enhance therapies

Research Description

Kelsey Kubelick's research group, KBioImaging Collective, leverages light, sound, nanoconstruct design, and cellular engineering strategies to develop advanced theranostic imaging techniques, with a particular interest in ultrasound and photoacoustic (PA) technologies. PA imaging is a hybrid acoustic and optical modality, in which pulsed laser light irradiation of optical absorbers ultimately produces a sound wave. The unique mechanism of PA signal generation enables deep, optical contrast that complements ultrasound. Together, US/PA imaging conveys cellular, molecular, and functional information with anatomical context in vivo. By developing a versatile set of imaging tools, her lab customizes US/PA imaging approaches to provide guidance, diagnostic feedback, and enhance therapies in vivo in a variety of contexts, including stem cell tracking for regenerative therapies, monitoring cancer immunotherapies, or cardiovascular imaging.

Selected Publications

Selected Publications: 

  1. Kim, M., Kubelick, K.P., Vanderlaan, D.V., Qin, D., Lee, J., Jhunjhunwala, A., Cadena, M., Nikolai, R.J., Kim, J., and Emelianov, S.Y. (2024).  Coupling gold nanospheres into nanochain constructs for high-contrast longitudinal photoacoustic imaging. Nano Letters, 24 (24), 7202-7210.

  2. Lee, J.*, Kubelick, K.P.*, Choe, A., and Emelianov, S.Y.  (2023). Combined Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Thermal Imaging for Improved Temperature Mapping when Tissue Composition is Unknown.  Photoacoustics, 100554. PMCID: PMC10492200.

  3. Jhunjhunwala, A., Kim, J., Kubelick, K.P., C. Ross Ethier, and Emelianov, S.Y. (2023). In Vivo Photoacoustic Monitoring of Stem Cell Location and Apoptosis with Caspase-3-Responsive Nanosensors. ACS nano17(18), 17931-17945. PMCID: PMC10540261.

  4. Kim, J., Yu, A.M., Kubelick, K. P., & Emelianov, S.Y. (2022). Gold nanoparticles conjugated with DNA aptamer for photoacoustic detection of human matrix metalloproteinase-9. Photoacoustics25, 100307. PMCID: PMC8521288.

  5. Kubelick, K.P. & Emelianov, S.Y. (2020). A trimodal ultrasound, photoacoustic, and magnetic resonance imaging approach for longitudinal postoperative monitoring of stem cells in the spinal cord.  Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology, 46(12), 3468 – 3474. PMCID: PMC7709928. 
  6. Kubelick, K.P. and Mehrmohammadi, M. (2022). Particles in Motion: Magneto-motive Imaging and Sensing. Theranostics.  4, 1783. PMCID: PMC8825589.

  7. Kubelick, K.P.,* Snider, E.J.,* Ethier, C.R., Emelianov, S. (2019).  Development of a stem cell tracking platform for ophthalmic applications using ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging.  Theranostics, 9(13), 3812 – 3824. PMCID: PMC6587354.

Link to Full Google Scholar profile