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Research projects:
Brain Tumours
The early detection of a positive therapeutic response is
critical for successful cancer treatment. In collaboration with
MedTeQ, The Australian e-Health Research Centre, the Division of
Medical Imaging, Department Oncology and the Queensland PET Service
(RBWH), a new research program aimed at the development and
translation of novel MRI-PET fusion technology using FDOPA to
improve the detection of tumour recurrence and assist in the
optimisation of radiation treatment planning has recently
commenced.
A second project targeting the development of innovative fMRI
and MRI diffusion tractography technology for improved
neurosurgical planning for patients with brain tumours is also
underway at the UQCCR.
Stroke
Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in society
today. One of the major challenges in acute stroke research and
treatment is the ability to accurately identify and monitor the
progression of stroke evolution. Over the last 7 years we have been
actively involved in developing MRI based methods for detecting and
monitoring infarct evolution in acute stroke patients. This work
has led to the development of novel methods of measuring the
efficacy of new stroke therapies. These methods are based on the
development of predictive models of stroke evolution. Recently, we
have targeted the development of new MRI methods to better
understand what happens in the brain during long term recovery
after stroke. The aim is to develop non-invasive imaging technology
based on MRI diffusion tractography to improve prediction of
functional recovery after stroke.
Neonatal MRI
Perinatal asphyxia occurs in about 4 in 1000 births and carries
with it a high risk of death or neurological disability throughout
life. In a joint collaborative project with the Perinatal Research
Unit (RBWH), we have been applying diffusion-weighted MRI and
diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to improve the detection of neonatal
ischemic brain injury in both newborn babies and in a neonate
piglet model. In collaboration with A/Prof Ros Boyd (Rehabilitation
and Cerebral Palsy Research Centre) another project is aimed at
investigating whether diffusion tractography can be used to improve
the measure of brain injury in children with cerebral palsy,
especially linking genetic factors with severity of brain
injury.
Aging and Dementia
Dementia will become the largest health problem in the world
during the next 30 years. The focus of my work has been in
developing MRI methods to aid the understanding of disease
progression in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and devise methods of accessing the
efficacy of new drug therapies. Considerable effort has been
directed towards increasing our understanding of white matter
integrity using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and how loss in
connectivity correlates with cognitive dysfunction. This pioneering
work has shown that DTI measures may be more sensitive than
standard volumetric measures of atrophy for measuring the
micropathological changes associated with disease progression in
AD. Recently, in collaboration with researchers at the Prince of
Wales Medical Research Institute, we have received funding from the
NHMRC to study frontotemporal dementia (FTD) using DTI.
MRI techniques are also being developed to investigate the
relationship between arterial compliance and white matter lesion
load and cortical atrophy in the aging brain. This sub-study is
part of the larger Longitudinal Aging in Women (LAW) study running
at the RBWH.
Head Trauma
In Australia head injury is a major cause of disability, and
accounts for a quarter of injury-related deaths. Currently there is
no robust neuroimaging technique capable of identifying brain
injury in acute patients with mild head trauma. Our group are
actively involved in investigating whether diffusion tractography
(DTI) and susceptibility weighted MRI can be used to characterise
brain injury and, importantly, predict functional outcome. In
collaboration with researchers at the University of Adelaide we
have gained NHMRC funding to expand this study over the next three
years. In addition we are also investigating the relationship
between leakage of the BBB and blood S100 protein in acute TBI
patients as a method to aid patient triaging.
Motor Neuron Disease
In collaboration with Prof Robert Henderson, Department of
Neurology (RBWH), our group is developing novel MRI diffusion
tractography analysis techniques to improve our understanding of
white matter injury and degeneration related to MND.
Molecular Imaging
One of the major technical frontiers in modern neuroscience is
designing molecular imaging platforms with the ability to monitor,
in real time, the fate or action of neurons in vivo. The
goal of this research program is to develop novel molecular imaging
agents (analogs of highly fluorinated micelles) that can be used to
track specific pathological processes in the brain. In a
collaborative project between CMR, Australian Institute for
Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN, Prof Andrew Whittaker) and
the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), novel
19F MRI technology has been developed to measure the
biodistribution of modified dendritic cells in animal models. This
program has received funding from the Queensland Government Smart
State Innovation fund.
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