Description of Research Expertise

The primary mission of the Functional and Metabolic Imaging Group (FMIG) is the development and application of novel hyperpolarized MRI techniques to the diagnosis of various pulmonary and metabolic disorders. Hyperpolarization, the process of drastically increasing the population difference between nuclear spin states, provides a platform for imaging lung physiology and metabolic activity with spatial and temporal resolution unattainable with conventional MRI techniques, thus offering the potential for the earlier diagnosis of disease states and the precise monitoring of a patient’s response to medical treatment. This core research theme is executed with an eye toward several ultimate goals: the identification of changes in pulmonary structure and function associated with disease, a more complete understanding of pathogenesis, and the establishment of a more sensitive testing environment to develop treatments for lung disease. To date, significant contributions in these areas include new imagining techniques for the comprehensive description of lung physiology and structure, accurate imaging of the regional pulmonary partial pressure of oxygen in both humans and large and small animals, highly developed imaging of regional ventilation, and a state-of-the-art mechanical ventilation device. Specifically, our research activities at FMIG is divided into four general branches: 1) The development of novel imaging techniques for the quantitative assessment of pulmonary structure and function: 2)The development of novel methods for real-time metabolic imaging: 3)The construction of novel polarization apparatuses: 4) The development and implementation of rapid imaging pulse sequences.

Selected Publications

Nomani A, Li G, Yousefi S, Wu S, Malekshah OM, Nikkhoi SK, Pourfathi M, Rizi R, Hatefi A: Gadolinium-labeled affibody-XTEN recombinant vector for detection of HER2+ lesions of ovarian cancer lung metastasis using quantitative MRI J Control Release 337 : 132-143,2021.

Baron R, Kadlecek S, Loza L, Xin Y, Amzajerdian F, Duncan I, Hamedani H, Rizi R: Deriving Regionally Specific Biomarkers of Emphysema and Small Airways Disease Using Variable Threshold Parametric Response Mapping on Volumetric Lung CT Images Acad Radiol 29 Suppl 2 (Suppl 2): S127-S136,2022.

Hamedani H, Kadlecek S, Ruppert K, Xin Y, Duncan I, Rizi RR: Ventilation heterogeneity imaged by multibreath wash-ins of hyperpolarized 3 He and 129 Xe in healthy rabbits J Physiol 599 (17): 4197-4223,2021.

Ball L, Robba C, Herrmann J, Gerard SE, Xin Y, Mandelli M, Battaglini D, Brunetti I, Minetti G, Seitun S, Bovio G, Vena A, Giacobbe DR, Bassetti M, Rocco PRM, Cereda M, Rizi RR, Castellan L, Patroniti N, Pelosi P; Collaborators of the GECOVID Group: Lung distribution of gas and blood volume in critically ill COVID-19 patients: a quantitative dual-energy computed tomography study Crit Care 25 (1): 214,2021.

Habertheuer A, Ram C, Schmierer M, Chatterjee S, Hu R, Freas A, Zielinski P, Rogers W, Silvestro EM, McGrane M, Moore JS, Korutla L, Siddiqui S, Xin Y, Rizi R, Tao JQ, Kreisel D, Naji A, Ochiya T, Vallabhajosyula P.: Circulating Donor Lung-Specific Exosome Profiles Enable Noninvasive Monitoring of Acute Rejection in a Rodent Orthotopic Lung Transplantation Model Transplantation 106 (4): 754-766,2021.

Xin Y, Martin K, Morais CCA, Delvecchio P, Gerard SE, Hamedani H, Herrmann J, Abate N, Lenart A, Humayun S, Sidhu U, Petrov M, Reutlinger K, Mandelbaum T, Duncan I, Tustison N, Kadlecek S, Chatterjee S, Gee JC, Rizi RR, Berra L, Cereda M: Diminishing Efficacy of Prone Positioning With Late Application in Evolving Lung Injury Crit Care Med 49 (10): e1015-e1024,2021.

Amzajerdian F, Ruppert K, Hamedani H, Baron R, Xin Y, Loza L, Achekzai T, Duncan IF, Qian Y, Pourfathi M, Kadlecek S, Rizi RR.: Measuring pulmonary gas exchange using compartment-selective xenon-polarization transfer contrast (XTC) MRI Magn Reson Med 85 (5): 2709-2722,2020.

Ruppert K, Amzajerdian F, Xin Y, Hamedani H, Loza L, Achekzai T, Duncan IF, Profka H, Qian Y, Pourfathi M, Kadlecek S, Rizi RR: Investigating biases in the measurement of apparent alveolar septal wall thickness with hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI Magn Reson Med 84 (6): 3027-3039,2020.

Rizi RR, Hamedani H, Cereda M.: In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Progression, Is It Airway Narrowing or Airway Loss? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 203 (2): 154-155,2021.

Xin Y, Cereda M, Hamedani H, Martin KT, Tustison NJ, Pourfathi M, Kadlecek S, Siddiqui S, Amzajerdian F, Connell M, Abate N, Kajanaku A, Duncan I, Gee JC, Rizi RR: Positional Therapy and Regional Pulmonary Ventilation: High Resolution Alignment of Prone and Supine Computed Tomography Images in a Large Animal Model Anesthesiology 133 (5): 1093-1105,2020.

Pourfathi M, Xin Y, Rosalino M, Cereda M, Kadlecek S, Duncan I, Profka H, Hamedani H, Siddiqui S, Ruppert K, Chatterjee S, Rizi RR: Pulmonary pyruvate metabolism as an index of inflammation and injury in a rat model of acute respiratory distress syndrome NMR Biomed 33 (11): e4380,2020.

Academic Contact Information

Department of Radiology
1 Silverstein
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6100
Phone: 215-615-2426