2018/03/05 – PhD student in multimodal metabolic and functional imaging, Paris

France Life Imaging; Paris; Sur place; EUR 60 000 - 80 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Une opportunité passionnante s'offre à un candidat souhaitant réaliser un doctorat au Paris Cardiovascular Research Center, axé sur des applications innovantes en imagerie cardiaque. Vous serez impliqué dans le développement d'une technologie d'imagerie multimodale révolutionnaire utilisant PET et ultrason ultrarapide. Ce projet vise à établir des biomarqueurs liés à la viabilité myocardique, offrant une chance unique de contribuer à des avancées significatives dans le domaine de la cardiologie.

Qualifications

• Docteur ou candidat avec de solides base en imagerie médicale.
• Compétences en analyse de données et en méthodes d'imagerie.
• Expérience dans la recherche préclinique préférée.

Responsabilités

• Développer des applications d'imagerie cardiaque avec PET et ultrason.
• Améliorer l'exactitude de la coenregistrement des volumes d'images.
• Analyser les expériences d'imagerie sur modèles animaux.

Connaissances

Analyse des données

Compétences en imagerie

Formation

Doctorat en imagerie médicale ou domaine connexe

Outils

PET

Ultrason ultrarapide

Description du poste

Type de structure : Paris Cardiovascular Research Center, Inserm U970, 56 rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris
Lab head: Professor Bertrand Tavitian / Head of PARCC-Inserm U970 : Alain Tedgui
Environment: PET-CT Mediso nanoPET; Bruker 4.7 T MRI; Supersonic Imagine Aixplorer; Animal facilities, software and computing power. Radiology
Staff: PARCC = 280, Radiology Dept = 80, involved in the project: 1 MD, 2 engineers, 2 post docs, 2 Lab assistants + Master students

Contexte et mission : The imaging lab of the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center is looking for a PhD candidate to develop cardiac applications of the new preclinical imaging device PETRUS combining Positron Emission Tomography and Ultrafast ultrasound: Provost et al. Nature Biomed. Eng. 2018;2(2):85-94.
Title of the PhD project: Multimodal metabolic and functional imaging of the ischemic heart using PET registered ultrafast sonography
Objective (s) of the project: Establish the correlation linking cardiac perfusion and function with metabolic flux of the normal and ischemic myocardium.

State of the art & rationale:
Determining whether a “stunned” or “hibernating” myocardium is viable, i.e., can benefit from a revascularization procedure, is a complex problem involving the mechanical, vascular, perfusion, and metabolism properties of the cardiac tissue.
Positron emission tomography (PET) and Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging (UUI) are, respectively, the most sensitive and the most specific viability imaging modalities when predicting functional recovery.
Viability imaging is at a crossroads: while viability imaging can predict functional recovery, the STITCH study demonstrated that it fails when attempting to predict the long-term outcomes of revascularization procedures.
These shortcomings could be potentially due in part to limitations of existing imaging technologies: the limited resolution of nuclear imaging techniques and the lack of quantification in echocardiography.
Novel imaging modes applied to cardiology bring new quantitative biomarkers to the table, namely, the imaging of intramyocardial vessels and of local myocardial stiffness.

Methods and tools:
Our world-first prototype of UUI combined with PET allows for simultaneous molecular, anatomical, and quantitative functional imaging of tissues and paves the way to novel synergistic imaging modes.

Main tasks:
1. To improve the accuracy of full coregistration of PET and UUI image volumes in 4D using the tools developed in the lab.
2. To extend UUI to perfusion imaging of the myocardium using contrast agents.
3. To apply PET-UUI to perfusion+stiffness+metabolic imaging of the heart in permanent and temporary (ischemia-reperfusion) models in rodents.
4. To progress towards the definition of new biomarkers of myocardial viability

Anticipated outcomes and potentials: to obtain and validate a new biomarker linking cardiac metabolism, output and perfusion.

Role of the doctoral student: to realize and analyse imaging experiments in the animal model.

References:
1.Provost J, Garofalakis A, Sourdon J, Bouda D, Berthon B, Viel T, Perez-Liva M, Lussey-Lepoutre C, Favier J, Correia M, Pernot M, Chiche J, Pouysségur J, Tanter M, Tavitian B. Simultaneous Positron Emission Tomography and Ultrafast Ultrasound for Hybrid Molecular, Anatomical, and Functional Imaging. Nature Biomed Eng., 2018;2(2):85-94.
2. Mabrouk R, Dubeau F, Bentabet L. A Bayesian framework for the extraction of input function for 18F-FDG metabolism study for both healthy and infarcted rats' hearts. J. Biomed. Graphics Comput., 2013, 3(4):9-19
3. Lanz B, Poitry-Yamate C, Gruetter R. Image-Derived Input Function from the Vena Cava for 18F-FDG PET Studies in Rats and Mice, J Nucl Med 2014; 55:1380–1388
4. Su HL, Qian YQ, Wei ZR, He JG, Li GQ, Zhang J, Zhou XD, Jing W. Real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography in rat: Infusion versus bolus administration, Ultrasound Med. Biol. 2009, 35(5):748–755, 2009

Contact : Send CV and motivation letter to Bertrand Tavitian (Project supervisor): [e-mail]