• Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, State University of NY, Stony Brook, NY, 1993.
• B.S. Experimental Psychology, State University of NY, Purchase, NY, 1985
• Research Chair and Professor, Department of Chemistry, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
• Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
• Adjunct Professor, Biotechnology Program, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
My laboratory focuses on using hyperpolarized (HP) noble gas MRI, an innovative technology that provides spectacularly detailed images of structures and processes within the body. HP gas MRI has the potential to allow medical researchers and health care providers to significantly improve diagnosis and treatment of a variety of diseases, including lung diseases, stroke, and cancer. HP noble gas MRI uses a high-powered, diode laser to produce polarized light that aligns the nuclei of atoms of helium-3 (3He) or xenon-129 (129Xe). Polarized 3He or 129Xe can then be inhaled, permitting high-resolution imaging of the degree of ventilation of the airways and periphery of the lungs. In addition, 129Xe dissolves in the blood, permitting it to be used to trace the flow of blood (perfusion) in body tissues, including the brain.
HP noble gas MRI can provide extraordinarily detailed information on structures within the body, but one of its largest advantages is that it can also provide information on physiological function. Imaging data on physiological function is invaluable for detecting and accurately characterizing diseases, and for guiding treatment strategies. Figure 1 shows an example of HP 3He MR images from my laboratory used to assess the effect of therapy on lung ventilation in a cystic fibrosis patient. The top row shows lung ventilation before treatment; the bottom row shows lung ventilation following treatment. Notice that the images in the bottom row are brighter, especially in the upper lobes, indicating improved ventilation function.
HP noble gas MRI uses no ionizing radiation (CT does use radiation), and it does not require exposing patients to the risks of chemical contrast agents that are sometimes used with conventional MRI. This allows HP gas MRI to be used to image patients repeatedly over time, allowing physicians to monitor how medical conditions progress, and to assess the effectiveness of specific treatments.
The advantages of HP noble gas MRI make it a powerful tool for medical research on a number of body systems. My laboratory uses HP noble gas MRI to investigate gas ventilation within the lungs, gas exchange in the alveoli of the lungs, and moment-to-moment functional activity in the brain. We are also developing the use of xenon biosensor probes to perform HP xenon MR molecular imaging, a technology that will be able to image physiological function in systems throughout the body. HP xenon biosensor MRI has powerful potential applications for the diagnosis of, and treatment guidance for, cancer. We pursue our investigations on HP gas MRI in collaborations with physicians, and with biomedical scientists, engineers, chemists, and physicists at TBRRI and a number of other universities and corporations. Currently, our investigations include work in the following areas:
• Studying ventilation defects in patients with asthma
• Assessing drugs for treatment of cystic fibrosis
• Testing the effects bronchodilator therapeutics have on regional lung ventilation function in patients with COPD
• Detecting and treating pulmonary embolism
• Applying HP 129Xe MR imaging to studies of stroke
• Using HP 129Xe MR imaging for functional MRI (fMRI) of the brain
• Developing xenon biosensor probes to detect vulnerable plaques in the arteries of people with atherosclerosis
• Designing xenon biosensor probes to image peripheral benzodiazepine receptors (PBR) in the brain
• Developing xenon biosensors to detect and stage cancer, including HER2-positive stage breast cancer.
