Wu Liu, PhD, a medical physicist who created new imaging techniques and radiation treatments for cancer, died May 14 of brain cancer at 51.
Dr. Liu's clinical focus was on developing and improving brachytherapy, which involves placing radioactive materials near tumors to damage cancer cells, according to a June 25 news release from Stanford (Calif.) Medicine. He worked at the Stanford Cancer Center, where he designed treatment plaques tailored to each patient and developed new ways to handle patient movements during image-guided radiation therapy using artificial intelligence.
"He was a gifted clinician and an indispensable part of our cancer radiology program, developing new treatments for cancers of the eye," Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of Stanford's medical school, said in the release.
He was born in Beijing, where he earned a bachelor's degree in astronomy and a master's in astrophysics. Dr. Liu moved to the U.S. and earned a master's in computer science and a PhD in medical physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined Stanford Medicine shortly after, where he worked as an associate professor of radiation oncology.
Dr. Liu was diagnosed with glioblastoma in August. He is survived by his wife, daughter and other family members.