Recent Advances in Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Fat - Applications in the Study of Obesity

SPEAKER: Dr. H. Harry Hu, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Southern CaliforniaABSTRACT: Overweight and obesity, particularly in adolescents, is a growing health problem in the U.S. and worldwide. Fat accumulations in the abdomen, organs, and muscles have been linked to a variety of metabolic
and cardiovascular diseases. Fat deposition is a recognized biomarker for obesity risk stratification. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is potentially the most optimal modality for rapid, accurate, and non-invasive
quantification of fat deposition within the human body. MRI is inherently three dimensional, provides sensitive chemical-shift based mechanisms for differentiating fat and lean tissues in organs and across the
abdomen, and allows indefinite repeatability in patients due to the lack of ionizing radiation. This talk will introduce some of the most recent advances in fat-water MRI technology. It will highlight the principles and
algorithms that underline current MRI fat-water image reconstruction, and discuss several technical considerations that are needed to ensure accurate fat quantification. The presentation will also summarize recent applications of fat-water MRI techniques to measure absolute fat mass, percent fat infiltration in organs such as the liver and pancreas, and the ability to identify different types of fat tissues.BIO: H. Harry Hu received a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering (BME) from USC in 2001. He then went on to study medical physics and magnetic resonance imaging at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he earned a Ph.D. degree in 2006. His doctoral thesis focused on rapid data acquisition strategies and the study of intracranial and whole-body angiography. Since late 2006, he has been a postdoctoral research associate and a member of the Magnetic Resonance Engineering Laboratory at USC, and
has been under the mentorship of Dr. Krishna S. Nayak. Harry's current research focuses on rapid quantitative fat-water MRI in studies of obesity and metabolism, which involves collaboration with colleagues from USC's
Keck School of Medicine and the University of Alabama, Birmingham. His work has resulted in multiple conference presentations, eight first-author manuscripts, and one U.S. patent. Harry is also a co-author on
more than twelve articles in journals including Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Radiology. He was the recipient of USC's Fred S. Grodin Award in BME in 2001. HOST: Professor Krishna Nayak, knayak@usc.edu

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Mayumi Thrasher