Charles Cunningham

Research Synopsis

Our lab is focused on making measurements and images using ¹³C-labelled metabolites, and studying how these change in disease.  We also develop the required imaging methodology and hardware to perform this new form of MRI. To give metabolites a magnetic signal large enough to enable MRI, dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is applied in order to magnetize concentrated samples of a substrate, such as ¹³C-labeled pyruvate, and the resulting solution is injected in vivo.  We are interested in the production and consumption of lactate in the brain and how this may be connected to neurodegenerative diseases, as well as metabolic characterization of cancer as a possible method for staging and for measuring response to therapy. Our group specializes in the development of new methodology and hardware for imaging ¹³C-labelled compounds in humans, and have used these to make the first metabolic images of the human heart and the first whole-brain maps of ¹³C-metabolite production in humans.

Graduate Students

Nicole Cappelletto
Dylan Dingwell
Biranavan Uthayakumar