Colloquium: Dr. Jonathan Thiessen

Thu. Nov. 15 10:00 AM - Thu. Nov. 15 10:50 AM
Location: 2M72

Dr. Jonathan Thiessen

Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University
Imaging Scientist, Lawson Health Research Institute

 

Molecular Imaging with PET/MRI

As defined by the Molecular Imaging Centre of Excellence, “Molecular imaging is the visualization, characterization, and measurement of biological processes at the molecular and cellular levels in humans and other living systems.” Given its high sensitivity and wide variety of targeted radioligands, positron emission tomography (PET) is uniquely suited for molecular imaging in both humans and animal models of disease. By combining PET with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), hybrid PET/MRI systems are able to merge the molecular imaging capabilities of PET to the many anatomical and functional imaging capabilities of MRI. I will describe some of the technical challenges and recent results using PET/MRI to investigate neurodegenerative disorders, myocardial infarction, and cancer using both preclinical and clinical PET/MRI systems.