Earl Miller Radiologic Imaging Laboratory
Michael F. Wendland, PhD, Director, 415/476-5182

The Earl R. Miller Laboratory is a departmental research facility, located on the second floor of the Health Sciences West building, and has been the home of a small bore 2T research MRI unit since 1985. In its early years, the main function of this facility was the development of new MRI methods and applications. Notable events during this period were contributions to diffusion weighted MRI for neurologic imaging, with the discovery of reduced apparent diffusion coefficient early after onset of brain ischemia, the first images showing diffusional anisotropy in brain and spinal chord, and the implementation of diffusion weighting into echo planar MRI sequences. Current work in the laboratory is focused upon quantitative evaluation of tissue water diffusion, magnetization transfer, and MRI contrast media distribution in various disease models, including myocardial infarction, stroke, cancers, and multiple sclerosis, leading to characterizations such as regional perfusion, vascular permeability, cellular viability, and the regional delivery and success of therapeutic interventions. In these areas, the laboratory collaborates closely with numerous other research groups within the Department of Radiology and from other departments within UCSF.

Research Directions:

• MRI contrast media distribution kinetics in rodent tumor models for evaluation of vascular permeability parameters and response to therapies
• Monitoring of receptor-targeted particulate drug delivery vehicles in rodent tumor models (labeled cells, liposomes, nanoparticulates) with MRI
• MRI of traumatic brain injury in rodents
• Evaluation of brain ischemia in neonatal rodents using MRI (model for birth-related brain ischemia)
• MRI of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (multiple sclerosis model) in common marmoset
• Study of rheumatoid arthritis models in rodents using MRI.
• MRI of myocardial ischemic injuries; contrast-based assessment of viability, edema, and dysfunction

Recent Key References:

Kuehne T, Saeed M, Gleason K, Turner D, Teitel D, Higgins CB, Moore P. Effects of pulmonary insufficiency on biventricular function in the developing heart of growing swine. Circulation 2003; 108:2007-13.

Krombach GA, Baireuther R, Higgins CB, Saeed M. Distribution of intramyocardially injected extracellular MR contrast medium: effects of concentration and volume. Eur Radiol 2004; 14:334-40.

Krombach GA, Saeed M, Higgins CB, Novikov V, Wendland MF. Contrast-enhanced MR delineation of stunned myocardium with administration of MnC12 in Rats. Radiology 2004; 230(1):183-90.

Lund GK, Stork A, Saeed M, Bansmann MP, Gerken JH, Muller V, Mester J, Higgins CB, Adam G, Meinertz T. Acute myocardial infarction: evaluation with first-pass enhancement and delayed enhancement with MR imaging compared with 201ST1 SPECT imaging. Radiology 2004; 232:49-57.

Schalla S, Wendland MF, Higgins CB, Ebert W, Saeed M. Accentuation of high susceptibility of hypertrophied myocardium to ischemia: Gadophrin-enhanced and cardiac function assessment using magnetic resonance imaging. Magn Reson Med 2004; 51:552-8.