University of Illinois Chicago · Biomedical EngineeringLiver Cancer Imaging Lab
Kejia Cai · Chicago, Illinois
Research Focus
Dr. Kejia Cai's lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). By using a novel pig model that imitates human cancer characteristics, the lab explores advanced imaging techniques that can help determine tumor aggressiveness and guide better patient care. Their work has the potential to refine how we diagnose and manage liver cancer through noninvasive methods.
Hepatocellular carcinomaMRICancer imagingTumor biologyOncopig model
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate the applicability of Cr CEST MRI for stratifying HCC malignancy based on genetic heterogeneity.
AIM 02Assess intratumor heterogeneity using CEST MRI techniques.
AIM 03Differentiate between pseudoprogression and true progression of tumors using advanced imaging.
Skills the Lab Values
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST)CRISPR gene editingCancer model developmentBiopsy techniques
Output against the department
Publications115bottom 23% of dept.460th of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations4.4kbottom 34% of dept.394th of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.