“Imaging Inflammation and Metabolic Abnormalities in the Diseased Brain using PET and MRI”

Hosted by the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR)

Brief Bio: I am an Assistant Professional Researcher in the departments of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, and Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California San Francisco. My research primarily focuses on developing and validating novel imaging tools to detect neuroinflammation using preclinical metabolic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. My scientific goal is to determine the role of the immune system in the progression of cerebral diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis, and identify clinically relevant MR and PET biomarkers of progression and therapeutic response. My long-term goal is to become an independent, interdisciplinary academic team leader, and to establish a research program that lays at the intersection of multiple imaging modalities, to better answer biologically relevant questions in neurological disorders. I recently received a Career Transition Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) to support me in these goals and further facilitate my transition into an independent investigator.

I obtained a BS and MS in Biology/Neurosciences from the University of Toulouse-III (France). I studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) and the University of Antwerp (Belgium), where I received a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. As a PhD candidate, I used optical imaging and MRI to untangle inflammatory and demyelination processes, while testing new ways to modulate inflammation in multiple sclerosis models. In my postdoctoral studies, supported by a fellowship from the NMSS, I demonstrated the ability of metabolic hyperpolarized (HP) 13C MR spectroscopy to detect pro-inflammatory macrophages in the brain of multiple sclerosis models. I also have a strong interest in promoting these methodological advances to other neurological diseases, and led studies in traumatic brain injury and genetically-engineered models of cognitive impairment.

For inquiries contact Margaret Morton.