Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
My lab is focused on research into new contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), specifically using a method called “Hyperpolarized C-13 MRI”. I use specially-prepared non-radioactive carbon-13-labeled metabolic substrates (mainly endogenous sugars or sugar-like molecules) to image specific enzymatic activities within specific tissues, in a non-invasive manner. Unlike other medical imaging contrast agents, we can track the specific downstream metabolic fate of the primary tracer, via localized MR spectroscopy. We are primarily focused on applying this new imaging technology to image the liver and discover improved markers for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease / steatohepatitis (NAFLD / NASH). This is a clinically translatable methodology, which has undergone human testing at several research sites internationally.