[Brainmap]: David Izquierdo PhD- When PET met MRI. A heart and brain connection story

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 - 12:00 to 13:00

 

 

Abstract:

In the recent years we have seen the development of a new technology that was born with the aura of starting a new molecular imaging revolution: simultaneous PET/MRI.  Defined as the “odd couple or a match made in heaven” (© by Ciprian and Bruce), it combines the best of both worlds: stunning high-resolution and soft tissue contrast (MRI) with the best in vivo sensitivity and accurate quantification (PET). Almost a decade later since the first simultaneous systems were arrived we are however still struggling to find out what has been consistently defined as the “killer application” for PET/MRI.

In this talk I will walk you through this “love at first sight” story between PET and MRI: how it happened, its challenges and the immense opportunities still to be fully exploited. As in any real love story, both the heart and the brain have their say on it so I will show examples of how PET/MRI is allowing us to show their connection. Whether you are a romantic “big-heart” scientist or a “brainy” researcher, an MRI-focused or standalone-PET, come in to find your other half! You will also fall in love with it! 

 

About the Speaker:

I got into Medical Imaging in 2005, after changing gears from a Ph.D. in Computer Vision in University of Bordeaux 1 (France). Since then, I have been a Research Fellow at the Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre (University of Cambridge, UK) and at Mount Sinai Hospital (NY, USA), before joining Ciprian Catana lab at the Martinos at the end of 2012.

My main research interests are focused on improving PET image quantification with combined PET/MRI, mostly focusing on cardiovascular and neuroimaging applications, with particular emphasis on pushing the quantification limits of PET using MR-based attenuation correction (MRAC), MR-based partial volume correction (PVC) and motion correction techniques. My current interests are on opening a new research line on the vascular contribution to cognitive impairment and dementias (VCID).