Multimodality Approach Reshapes the Nature of Biomedical Imaging

BernardSiowisanMRIphysicistattheCenterforAdvancedBiomedicalImaging(CABI),aswellasheadoftheMRIfacilityattheFrancisCrickInstitute.

Inaninterview,SiowtalksaboutthemultimodalityapproachCABIistakingtowardsbiomedicalimaging,aswellastheexcitingnewCrickprojectthatiscurrentlyunderdevelopment.

CABIisapreclinicalimaginglaboratorythatusesaroundtendifferentbiomedicalimagingmodalitiestolookattissuesindifferentways.AmongthevariousdifferentmodalitiesareMRI,whichtheresearchersusetoexaminesofttissue,andcomputedtomography(CT),whichhaslesssofttissuecontrastandisusedtolookatthingslikebonestructure,forexample.

Byusingdifferentmodalities,thescientistscanacquiremuchmoreinformationabouttissueandpathologicalparametersthaniftheyusedjustasinglemodality.Eachmodalityisassociatedwithvariouslimitationsandbyusinglotsofdifferentones,thescientistsfindtheyarelessrestrictedinwhattheycanachieve,performingmanydifferentstudiesacrossawiderangeofdiseases.

Originally,CABIhousedjustonehigh-field9.4TMRIscanner,butoverthelastsixyears,thecenterhasexpandedtoaccommodatePET/SPECTnuclearimaging,opticalprojectiontomography(OPT),bioluminescentconfocalmicroscopesandtheICON-1Tsystem.

Siow’smainareaofinterestisatechniquecalleddiffusionMRI,whichheusestoobtaininformationaboutthemicrostructureoftissues.TheMRIvoxelonaclinicalscannerisaround1mminlength,whereasthetypeofspatialinformationSiowwantstoobtainisonlyaroundonemicroninsize.

Togetspatialinformationathousandtimessmallerthanthesizeofthevoxel,SiowusesdiffusionMRItoexaminethewaywaterdiffusesalongcellsandestimate,forexample,thesizeofanaxon.Inparticular,axondiameterestimatesareimportantinthediagnosisofmanyneurodegenerativedisease.

AnotherareaSiowlooksatthatisassociatedwithmicrostructureisthepermeabilityofcells,whichisoftenabnormalindiseasessuchasmultiplesclerosis.

SiowalsotalkedabouttheFrancisCrickInstitutethatiscurrentlyunderconstructionatKingsCross,London.AsheadoftheMRIfacility,SiowisresponsIBLefordevelopingtheimagingareasatthecenter.

Thisexcitingnewprojectisacollaborationbetweensixestablishments–theWellcomeTrust,CancerResearchUK,theMedicalResearchCouncil,UniversityCollegeLondon,ImperialandKing’sCollege,London.Theinstituteplanstoemployaround1500scientistswhowillbeabletoworkinaveryopenandcollaborativeenvironmentwherelotsofideascanbeexchangedbetweenthevariousgroupsofresearchers.

Siowsaysthenewcenterwillbeveryinterdisciplinary,lookingatpreclinicalworkacrossvariousdifferentfieldssuchascancerresearch,neurodegenerativedisease,cardiacresearchandinfectiousdisease,tonamejustafewexamples.

SiowgraduatedfromImperialwithadegreeinphysics.Hethencompletedamaster’sdegreeandPhDinMRIphysicsinNewcastlebeforemovingtoLondonasapostdoc.