Bastiaan Driehuys
Professor of Radiology

My research program is focused on developing and applying hyperpolarized gases to enable fundamentally new applications in MRI. Currently we use this technology to non-invasively image pulmonary function in 3D. Hyperpolarization involves aligning nuclei to a high degree to enhance their MRI signal by 5-6 orders of magnitude. Thus, despite the low density of gases relative to water (the ordinary signal source in MRI), they can be imaged at high-resolution in a single breath. This technology leads to a host of interesting areas of study including: investigating the basic physics of hyperpolarization, developing new MR methods and hardware for image acquisition, image analysis and quantification, and of, course applying this technology to a host of chronic diseases including, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis.

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