Junior Research Group Leader: Dr. Carley Stewart
General Information
Imaging is a powerful, non-invasive tool for assessing disease states in vivo. Different modalities exploit distinct physical and molecular principles to highlight and contrast pathological tissue and remodelling processes. For example, positron emission tomography (PET) uses radioactive tracers that accumulate or bind according to specific molecular processes, enabling quantitative assessment of metabolic and molecular activity in vivo. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) relies on the differential absorption of X-rays by various tissues, producing detailed structural contrast. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a non-ionizing modality, detects signals from hydrogen nuclei (protons) aligned in a magnetic field and perturbed by radiofrequency pulses. Contrast can arise from differences in relaxation properties, proton density, diffusion, or tissue composition. Our group applies and develops these imaging modalities to study respiratory diseases. We aim to integrate multi-modal imaging to better quantify and characterize disease states, particularly in inflammatory and fibrotic lung diseases. By combining engineering approaches with clinical collaboration among pulmonologists and radiologists, we identify key clinical challenges and develop translational imaging solutions to enhance patient care.
- Morpho-functional MRI of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs)
- PET/CT approaches to characterize interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs)
- Quantitative analysis of breathing dynamics using CT
- Artificial intelligence for disease detection and prediction
DZL Clinical Trial Funding
| Gökçe Aybeniz Sevim | Assistenzärztin |
1. Stewart, C. G., Hilkin, B. M., Gansemer, N. D., Adam, R. J., Dick, D. W., Sunderland, J. J., Stoltz, D. A., Zabner, J., & Abou Alaiwa, M. H. (2024). Mucociliary Clearance is Impaired in Small Airways of Cystic Fibrosis Pigs. American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology, 10.1152/ajplung.00010.2024. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.00010.2024
2.Stewart, C. G., Hilkin, B. M., Gansemer, N. D., Abou Alaiwa, M. H., & Stoltz, D. A. (2022). Measurement of mucociliary transport: novel application of positron emission tomography.Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE 19th International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI), Kolkata, India. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISBI52829.2022.9761605
3.Stewart, C. G., Hilkin, B. M., Gansemer, N. D., & Abou Alaiwa, M. H. (2020). Analysis platform for assessment of mucociliary clearance.Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting, conference proceedings.
4. Ghimire, S., Stewart, C.G., Thurman, A.L., Pezzulo, A.A., 2021. Performance of a scalable RNA extraction-free transcriptome profiling method for adherent cultured human cells. Scientific Reports 11.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98912-x
5. Pezzulo, A.A., Tudas, R.A., Stewart, C.G., Buonfiglio, L.G.V., Lindsay, B.D., Taft, P.J., Gansemer, N.D., Zabner, J., 2019. HSP90 inhibitor geldanamycin reverts IL-13– and IL-17–induced airway goblet cell metaplasia. Journal of Clinical Investigation 129, 744–758. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci123524