About the Research
Advancing Low Field MRI for Point of Care Diagnostics through Engineered Systems for Quantitative Assessment of the Extra Cellular Matrix State of Soft Tissues
Our research will advance the adaptation of low-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI) as a novel, non-invasive, and affordable point-of-care (POC) diagnostic imaging method capable of assessing the state of extracellular matrix components in connective tissues and quantitative tracking treatments of associated diseases (i.e., myofascial pain syndrome, osteoarthritis, etc.), leading contributors to disabilities worldwide.
Research Projects
We combine a deep understanding of physics, materials science, and engineering approaches to examine complex biological systems. Students and researchers in the lab developed expertise in engineering fundamentals, materials fabrication, molecular motion, magnetic resonance methods/applications, polymer physics, 3D printing, data science, and instrument construction.
Researchers are prepared to take an interdisciplinary approach to impact the advancement of noninvasive POC diagnostics, increasing access to affordable medical imaging, and improving researchers’ capability to connect physiological states with underlying tissue pathologies through low-field (LF) MRI.
Microphysiological MRI Phantoms
Fabrication and materials characterization of synthetic biomimetic systems serving as pathological archetypes of the connective tissue and neurological extracellular matrix.
Advancing MD MRI for Medical Diagnostics at Low Fields
Application and Optimization of Multidimensional (MD) MRI Spectroscopy methods for quantification of pathological state in ex-vivo animal tissue models.
Toward Variable Field MRI
Understanding field dependent behavior of magnetic resonance relaxation physics to advance and standardize the use of low field methods and guide the development of technologies in medical diagnostics.
Our Funding Sources and Collaborators