Academic History

Andrei Gafita, MD, is a radiology resident in the Prostate Cancer Theranostics Division at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD. He received his medical degree from the ‘Iuliu Hațieganu’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. He subsequently gained clinical experience across leading European institutions, including a post as junior assistant doctor at Universitätsspital Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland, and a clinical position at the Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.

Dr Gafita advanced his academic and research training as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Ahmanson Translational Theranostics Division, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles, CA. During his time at UCLA, he was awarded the Larry Ruvo-Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) Young Investigator Award to support his work on developing an imaging-based prognostic tool, known as a nomogram, for predicting treatment response in patients with advanced prostate cancer.

Speaking on theranostics and imaging biomarkers in advanced prostate cancer

Dr Gafita specializes in molecular imaging and theranostics with a focus on optimizing treatment strategies for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). His work is particularly centered on the development and validation of prognostic and predictive imaging biomarkers using prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT, as well as the clinical evaluation of PSMA-targeted radioligand therapies.

A key contribution of his research is the development of a nomogram that integrates clinical and imaging data to predict individual patient response to [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy, supporting more personalized and evidence-based treatment decisions. Additionally, Dr Gafita investigates the prognostic value of post-therapy PSMA-PET/CT imaging and actively contributes to international initiatives aimed at standardizing response assessment frameworks for PSMA-directed therapies. Through ongoing clinical research and global collaboration, he continues to advance the field of PSMA-targeted imaging and therapy in prostate cancer.