Daniel Spielman

My interests are in the field of in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) and the development of new methods of imaging metabolism within the body. Current projects include 13C MRS of hyperpolarized substrates for the assessment of glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and other key metabolic pathways, optimized mapping of 1H metabolite distributions throughout the body, and quantifying neurotransmitter levels and cycling rates in the brain. In our laboratory, we have focussed on a novel array of both acquisition and analysis techniques for use in preclinical and clinical studies. These developments, which include improved spectroscopic imaging and shimming methods, multinuclear NMR studies, application of estimation theory for optimal data quantification, and the synthesis of new hyperpolarizeable 13C probes, address the inherent difficulties of low concentrations of the desired components, overlapping resonances, and magnetic field inhomogeneities caused by imperfect magnets and magnetic susceptibility variations with the body. Primary applications of this work include cancer diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and prediction of response to therapy, assessment of cardiac function, improved understanding and treatment of metabolic diseases (e.g. diabetes, liver failure) and neurologic disorders including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.