Mikhail Y. Berezin, PhD

Mikhail Y. Berezin, PhD, is an associate professor of radiology and director of the Optical Spectroscopy Core Facility for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Berezin has a background in medicinal chemistry and optical imaging with a focus on diagnostics. Berezin’s lab in the Biophotonics Research Center focuses on understanding how the peripheral nervous system interacts with cancer and cancer treatment. The Berezin Lab is specifically interested in the mechanism of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), chemotherapy induced cardiotoxicity, cancer-related pain and cancer-related cachexia. A long-term approach toward understanding chronic CIPN and other side effects relies on evaluating the role that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play in initiating these processes. Using optical probes, the lab studies inflammation and develops novel imaging modalities based on fluorescence lifetime, hyperspectral imaging and imaging in the shortwave infrared. To address the importance of high-quality optical measurements, in 2011 Berezin founded and direct the Optical Spectroscopy Core Facility with top-of-the-line commercial instruments and in-house developed techniques to serve scientists around the globe. Prior to his academic career, he was a research scientist for Monsanto/Pharmacia/Pfizer and contributed to the development and launching of several drugs.