Novel Contrast Mechanisms for Molecular and Cellular Imaging
Molecular imaging is a new field that combines recent advances in non-invasive imaging modalities with molecular and cellular biology in order to improve our understanding of normal and disease processes, as well as to target and treat specific tissues. Molecular imaging methods makes use of pharmaceuticals known as contrast agents, which alter the appearance of an image when they are present in sufficient concentration. These contrast agents are often targeted, meaning that they selectively bind to particular cell surface receptors and accumulate in tissues of interest. In more advanced schemes, "smart" agents can be constructed which are activated only after they have bound or interacted with certain molecules. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has many characteristics that make it attractive as a molecular imaging platform, including flexible image contrast, arbitrary slice orientation and the ability to visualize tissues deep within the body, significant challenges remain. The largest obstacle is the inherently low sensitivity of MRI, making it difficult to detect the typically low concentrations of molecular imaging agents that are feasible to achieve in vivo.
Our research is focused on the fundamental physics underlying the MRI signal with the aim of advancing MRI methodology towards molecular imaging applications. To cope with the issue of sensitivity, methods for achieving signal amplification are sought. Specific projects include development of novel methods for studying cell trafficking using magnetic nanoparticles, hyperpolarized carbon (13C) probes for metabolic characterization of diseased tissue, and radiofrequency pulse design for high-field MRI applications.
Graduate Students:
- Hirad Karimi
- Angus Lau
- Justin Lau
Selected References:
Link to Pubmed Publications-
CH Cunningham, JM Pauly, KS Nayak. Saturated Double Angle Method for Rapid B1+ Mapping. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 55:1326-1333 (2006)
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CH Cunningham, DB Vigneron, AP Chen, SJ Nelson, D Xu, RE Hurd, DA Kelley, JM Pauly. Design of flyback echo-planar readout gradients for MR spectroscopic imaging. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 54:1286-1289 (2005)
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CH Cunningham, DB Vigneron, M Marjanska, AP Chen, D Xu, RE Hurd, J Kurhanewicz, M Garwood, JM Pauly. Sequence Design for MR Spectroscopic Imaging of Prostate Cancer at 3 Tesla. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 53:1033-1039 (2005)
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CH Cunningham, T Arai, PC Yang, MV McConnel, JM Pauly, SM Conolly. Positive Contrast MRI of Cells Labeled with Magnetic Nanoparticles. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 53:999-1005 (2005)
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BA Hargreaves, CH Cunningham, DG Nishimura, SM Conolly. Variable-Rate Selective Excitation for Rapid MRI Sequences. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 52:590:597 (2004)
- CH Cunningham, DB Vigneron, AP Chen, D Xu, RE Hurd, N Sailasuta, JM Pauly. Design of Symmetric-Sweep Spectral-Spatial RF Pulses for Spectral Editing. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 52:147-153 (2004)
- CH Cunningham, GA Wright, ML Wood. High-Order Multiband Encoding in the Heart. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 48:689-698(2002)
