My overall research focus is on advancing quantitative MRI methodologies
in tissue-engineering/regenerative medicine (TE/RM), investigating different
paradigms such as stem-cells and tissue implantation. Such an enabling
technology would address a critical need in TE/RM for a non-invasive
histology surrogate to assess tissue viability and structure. The goal
is to accelerate the realization of TE/RM as a medical option by 1) guiding
the development of TE/RM strategies to address outstanding challenges
and 2) enabling on-going assessment in patients.
Angiogenesis, or growing a blood supply, is crucial to successful tissue
regeneration but remains a major challenge. A sufficient vascular volume
and blood flow must be achieved to ensure cells are adequately nourished
to support expansion. These microvessel properties can be measured using
dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI, which provides useful indication
of tissue viability or disease progression in applications such as cancer,
ischemia, inflammation, and neurological disorders. In TE/RM research,
quantitative DCE-MRI measurements that correspond to histopathology are
necessary. However, obtaining accurate, decoupled measurements remains
an active area of DCE-MRI methodology development.
Basic physics research has focused on progress in accurate quantitative
MRI methodologies. A major contribution is rapid, high-resolution 3D
T1 quantification for tissue characterization and localizing MR contrast
agents. This method is valuable in DCE-MRI and across a number of applications,
including imaging targeted contrast agents/labeled cells, cancer, and
musculoskeletal disease. A second focus is on addressing key limitations
in quantitative DCE-MRI. Progress has been made to measure the blood
profile for improving DCE-MRI accuracy. Methods to address other limitations,
including appropriate modeling of contrast distribution, are under development.
These technical developments have been applied to study stem-cell regeneration
and an implantation model of bladder regeneration. MRI assessment of
angiogenesis induced in engineered bladder constructs has been successfully
demonstrated. Future efforts will develop a complete quantitative assessment
of both function and structure, which will then will applied to study
different regeneration strategies in various organ systems. In order
to achieve this, continued technical advances must be made in rapid imaging
and quantitative MRI techniques.
Graduate Students:
- Joris Nofiele
Selected References:
Link to Pubmed Publications- Loai Y, Sakib N, Janik R, Foltz WD, Cheng HL. Human aortic endothelial cell labeling with positive contrast Gadolinium oxide nanoparticles for cellular magnetic resonance imaging at 7 Tesla. Mol Imaging (Epub 2012)
- Winter JD, St. Lawrence KS, Cheng HL. Quantification of renal perfusion: comparison of arterial spin labeling and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. J Magn Reson Imaging (Epub 2012)
- Cheng HL, Loai Y, Farhat WA. Monitoring tissue development in acellular matrix-based regeneration for bladder tissue engineering: multiexponential diffusion and T2* for improved specificity. NMR Biomed 25:418-426 (2012)
- Cheng HL, Holowka S, Moineddin R, Odama I. Liver iron overload assessment by T2* magnetic resonance imaging in pediatric patients: an accuracy and reproducibility study. Am J Hematol 87:435-437 (2012)
- Winter JD, Estrada M, Cheng HL. Normal tissue quantitative T1 and T2* MRI relaxation time responses to hypercapnic and hyperoxic gases. Acad Radiol 18:1159-1167 (2011)
- Winter JD, Akens MK, Cheng HL. Quantitative MRI assessment of VX2 tumour oxygenation changes in response to hyperoxia and hypercapnia. Phys Med Biol 56:1225-1242 (2011)
- Kershaw LE, Cheng HL. A general dual bolus approach for quantitative DCE-MRI. Magn Reson Imaging 29:160-166 (2011)
- Kershaw LE, Cheng HL. Temporal resolution and SNR requirements for accurate DCE-MRI data analysis using the AATH model. Magn Reson Med 64:1772-1780 (2010)
- Sussman MS, Vidarsson L, Pauly JM, Cheng HL. A technique for rapid single-echo spin-echo T(2) mapping. Magn Reson Med 64:536-545 (2010).
- Cheng HL, Islam SS, Loai Y, Antoon R, Beaumont M, Farhat WA. Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging assessment of matrix development in cell-seeded natural urinary bladder smooth muscle tissue-engineered constructs. Tissue Eng Part C Methods 16:643-651 (2010).
- Beaumont M, DuVal MG, Loai Y, Farhat WA, Sandor GK, Cheng HL. Monitoring angiogenesis in soft-tissue engineered constructs for calvarium bone regeneration: an in vivo longitudinal DCE-MRI study. NMR Biomed 23:48-55 (2010)
- Cheng HL. Improved correlation to quantitative DCE-MRI pharmacokinetic parameters using a modified initial area under the uptake curve (mIAUC) approach. J Magn Reson Imaging 30:864-872 (2009)
- Beaumont M, Odame I, Babyn PS, Vidarsson L, Kirby-Allen M, Cheng HL. Accurate liver T2* measurement of iron overload: a simulations investigation and in-vivo study. J Magn Reson Imaging 30:313-320 (2009)
- Cheng HL. Investigation and optimization of parameter accuracy in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. J Magn Reson Imaging 28:736-743 (2008)
- Cheng HL. T(1) measurement of flowing blood and arterial input function determination for quantitative 3D T(1)-weighted DCE-MRI. J Magn Reson Imaging 25:1073-1078 (2007)
- Cheng HL, Wallis C, Shou Z, Farhat WA. Quantifying angiogenesis in VEGF-enhanced tissue-engineered bladder constructs by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI using contrast agents of different molecular weights. J Magn Reson Imaging 25:137-145 (2007)
- Cheng HL, Wright GA. Rapid high-resolution T(1) mapping by variable flip angles: accurate and precise measurements in the presence of radiofrequency field inhomogeneity. Magn Reson Med 55:566-574 (2006)
- Cheng HL, Purcell CM, Bilbao JM, Plewes DB. Usefulness of contrast kinetics for predicting and monitoring tissue changes in muscle following thermal therapy in long survival studies. J Magn Reson Imaging 19:329 341 (2004)
- Cheng HL, Plewes DB. Tissue thermal conductivity by magnetic resonance thermometry and focused ultrasound heating. J Magn Reson Imaging 16:598 609 (2002)
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