Our exploration in instrumentation focuses on developing cutting-edge technology, including advanced scanners, MR coils, MR peripherals, and novel optical systems.
Research
With an interdisciplinary, dynamic, and inclusive research environment Yale BioImaging is dedicated to understanding and advancing human and preclinical biomedical imaging research areas; our research can be divided into three thematic centers focused on different aspects of biomedical imaging:
- Imaging Technology
- Imaging Translation
- Data Sciences
Within each center, we are conducting research in the below areas:
Imaging Technology
Imaging Translation
Brain Our studies on brain function and structure encompass aging, substance abuse, mental health, cancer, and the complex networks within the brain.
Heart Discover our research on heart failure, vascular disease, and microvascular circulation.
Cancer Explore our research in oncology, including prostate and breast cancer. Learn about our pioneering studies on theranostics and imaging-guided treatments.
Other Diseases/Conditions We investigate a diverse range of systems and conditions, including inflammation, diabetes, endocrine disorders, and immune system function.
Data Sciences
Data Sciences Data sciences work focuses on advancements in motion correction, image reconstruction, and MR/MRSI sequencing and processing. These developments are essential for improving image quality and diagnostic precision in medical imaging.
Analysis/AI This group promotes AI/image analysis research in the Yale School of Medicine.
Selected Publications
2025
In vivo evidence for metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 dysregulation in chronic pain
Davis M, Weiss E, DellaGioia N, Boster S, Asch R, Moisieienko K, Esterlis I. In vivo evidence for metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 dysregulation in chronic pain. Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 1-8. PMID: 41413678, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-025-02296-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTransdiagnostic samplePositron emission tomographyMetabotropic glutamate receptor 5Sleep disturbanceChronic painGlutamate receptor 5Associated with depressionSample of individualsSources of personalityPsychiatric groupsExecutive dysfunctionAcute painPsychiatric diagnosisBrain regionsCognitive functionMGlu5Severe depressionNeurophysiology of painEffective treatment optionTreatment targetExploratory analysisAnxietyDepressionEmission tomographyIn vivo evidenceCranberry: Combined Rigid and Nonrigid Event-by-Event Motion Correction at Yale
Zhang J, Fontaine K, Volpi T, Zeng T, Du Y, Sun C, Lu Y, Toyonaga T, Onofrey J, Carson R. Cranberry: Combined Rigid and Nonrigid Event-by-Event Motion Correction at Yale. 2021 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium And Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC) 2025, 1-1. DOI: 10.1109/nss/mic/rtsd57106.2025.11286359.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMotion correctionEvent-by-event motion correctionMotion correction frameworkBrain PET systemAccurate motion correctionNon-rigid motion correctionMulti-target applicationsRobust motion correctionSpatial resolutionPET systemAxial fieldMotion fieldAFOVMotion transformationImage qualityCorrectionFieldResolutionImpact of Depth-of-Interaction and Spatially-Variant Point-Spread-Function Model on the Performance of Ultra-High Resolution Brain PET
Zeng T, Najmaoui Y, Zhang J, Fontaine K, Hu Y, Chemli Y, Gallezot J, Sun C, Lu Y, Fakhri G, Carson R, Marin T. Impact of Depth-of-Interaction and Spatially-Variant Point-Spread-Function Model on the Performance of Ultra-High Resolution Brain PET. 2021 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium And Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC) 2025, 1-2. DOI: 10.1109/nss/mic/rtsd57106.2025.11287015.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSpatially-varying point spread functionPoint spread functionAccurate point spread functionPSF modelConvergence behaviorImage qualityPoint spread function modelReconstruction toolboxPSF parametersHigh-activity regionsBrain-dedicated PET scannersDepth of interactionPoint-spread-function modelingField of viewSpatial resolutionHuman scansContrast recoverySpread functionPET systemPET scannerReal phantomBrain phantomMonte Carlo simulationsBrain positron emission tomographyCarlo simulationsMorphological and functional alterations in type 2 diabetes pancreata assessed with MRI-based metrics and [18F]FP-(+)-DTBZ PET
Nejati S, Sadabad F, Ren R, Huang Y, Bini J. Morphological and functional alterations in type 2 diabetes pancreata assessed with MRI-based metrics and [18F]FP-(+)-DTBZ PET. Frontiers In Endocrinology 2025, 16: 1724340. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1724340.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHealthy obese volunteersVesicular monoamine transporter type 2Positron emission tomographyBeta-cell massBeta-cell functionSUVR-1Clinical covariatesWhole pancreasArginine stimulation testMaximum insulin responseCombination of positron emission tomographyPositron emission tomography imagingCombination of biomarkersType 2 diabetesStage diseaseSelection operator (LASSO) regression modelT1-weighted MRIObese volunteersStimulation testRetrospective analysisMRI-based metricsClinical variablesFunctional reserveT2D individualsFunctional alterationsPhysics-Informed List-Mode Deep Image Prior Reconstruction with Motion Correction in 3D Brain PET
Chemli Y, Najmaoui Y, Normandin M, Fakhri G, Marin T, Ouyang J. Physics-Informed List-Mode Deep Image Prior Reconstruction with Motion Correction in 3D Brain PET. 2021 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium And Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC) 2025, 1-2. DOI: 10.1109/nss/mic/rtsd57106.2025.11287851.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDeep Image PriorList-modeContrast recoveryMotion correctionList-mode eventsReconstructed activity distributionHoffman brain phantomNoise-resolution trade-offML-EM reconstructionLow-count dataResolution phantomBrain phantomBrain positron emission tomographySuper-resolution effectActivity distributionModel attenuationML-EMBack-projection operationsFine structureDown-sampled dataNegative log-likelihoodImage registrationUnsupervised regularizerBack-projectionImage priorsImpact of TOF Resolution on Required Angular Coverage in PET: a Monte Carlo Study
Razdevsek G, Dolenec R, Orehar M, Fakhri G, Majewski S, Pestotnik R. Impact of TOF Resolution on Required Angular Coverage in PET: a Monte Carlo Study. 2021 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium And Medical Imaging Conference (NSS/MIC) 2025, 1-1. DOI: 10.1109/nss/mic/rtsd57106.2025.11287018.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTime-of-flight resolutionTime-of-flightArtifact-free reconstructionAngular coverageNEMA image quality phantomAngular sampling requirementsTime-of-flight informationInter-crystal scatterImage quality phantomDepth of interactionOpen geometrySystematic Monte Carlo simulationsDerenzo phantomTOF resolutionImage qualityPET scannerMonte Carlo simulationsElongation artifactsPoint sourcesMonte Carlo studyCarlo simulationsLesion contrastSpatial resolutionImage noiseSystem geometryCharacterization of [ 18 F]PF-NB1 Enantiomers for Imaging NMDA GluN2B Receptors in Nonhuman Primates and Comparison with Analogous 18 F‑labeled Radiotracers
Alluri S, Zheng M, Holden D, Ahmed H, Felchner Z, Kapinos M, Carson R, Ametamey S, Huang Y. Characterization of [ 18 F]PF-NB1 Enantiomers for Imaging NMDA GluN2B Receptors in Nonhuman Primates and Comparison with Analogous 18 F‑labeled Radiotracers. ACS Chemical Neuroscience 2025 PMID: 41392471, DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.5c00840.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchVolume of distributionNondisplaceable volumeGluN2B expressionRegional volumesRegional volume of distributionNMDA GluN2B receptorBrain uptakeNondisplaceable binding potentialGluN2B-selective antagonistNonhuman primatesRegional time-activity curvesDynamic PET scansGlutamate-mediated excitotoxicityTime-activity curvesOne-tissue compartmentNeuropsychiatric disordersBrain regionsSelective antagonistGluN2B subunitGluN2B receptorsBinding potentialPET scansArterial input functionBlocking studiesSynaptic plasticityImaging Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 and Excitatory Neural Activity in Autism.
Naples A, Yang Y, Gravel P, Toyonaga T, Sadabad F, Koohsari S, Pittman B, Gallezot J, Pisani L, Finn C, Cramer-Benjamin S, Herman N, Rosenthal L, Franke C, Walicki B, Rodden I, Hillmer A, Esterlis I, Ropchan J, Nabulsi N, Huang Y, Wolf J, Carson R, McPartland J, Matuskey D. Imaging Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 and Excitatory Neural Activity in Autism. American Journal Of Psychiatry 2025, appiajp20241084. PMID: 41366835, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20241084.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMetabotropic glutamate receptor 5Glutamate receptor 5Positron emission tomographyAutistic groupGroup differencesPositron emission tomography outcomes measurementsExcitatory neurotransmissionNeurotypical control participantsAutism spectrum disorderReceptor 5Receptor availabilityAutism phenotypeAutistic adultsBrain areasBrain regionsExcitatory neural activitySpectrum disorderControl participantsSensory sensitivityMGlu5Neural activityVenous input functionsReceptor densityAutismEEG power spectraDynamic brain mechanisms supporting salient memories under cortisol
Huang Y, O’Connor D, Harris B, Sinha R, Constable R, Goldfarb E. Dynamic brain mechanisms supporting salient memories under cortisol. Science Advances 2025, 11: eadz4143. PMID: 41370392, PMCID: PMC12693973, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adz4143.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsEmotional memoryWhole-brain functional connectivity networksConnectome-based predictive modelingFormation of emotional memoriesEmotionally arousing experiencesBrain network processFunctional connectivity networksPharmacological fMRIBrain mechanismsArousing experiencesBrain networksWhole-brainSalient informationArousalMemoryConnectivity networksCortisolFMRINeural networkEmotionsFunctional overlapBrainMemorandaNetwork processValidation of Dynamic Deuterium Metabolic Imaging (DMI) for the Measurement of Cerebral Metabolic Rates of Glucose in Rat
Mathy C, Thomas M, Mason G, de Graaf R, De Feyter H. Validation of Dynamic Deuterium Metabolic Imaging (DMI) for the Measurement of Cerebral Metabolic Rates of Glucose in Rat. NMR In Biomedicine 2025, 39: e70194. PMID: 41371621, PMCID: PMC12695439, DOI: 10.1002/nbm.70194.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAPOE ε4 Modulates Beta‐Amyloid Clearance via Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics: Insights from Nonhuman Primate and Clinical Studies
Kim J, Lipford M, Barcus R, Yuan H, Lyu Q, Hudson J, Lockhart S, Hughes T, Sutphen C, Frye B, Sai K, Rudolph M, Shively C, Register T, Mielke M, Craft S, Whitlow C. APOE ε4 Modulates Beta‐Amyloid Clearance via Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics: Insights from Nonhuman Primate and Clinical Studies. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2025, 21: e104986. PMCID: PMC12780961, DOI: 10.1002/alz70856_104986.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCerebrospinal fluid flow dynamicsCerebrospinal fluid flowCerebrospinal fluidPositron emission tomographyNon-carriersStandardized uptake value ratioClinical studiesClinical cohortCerebellomedullary cisternNonhuman primatesPontine cisternImpaired CSF dynamicsClearance mechanismsNonhuman primate modelAge-adjusted analysesNonhuman primate studiesCerebrospinal fluid dynamicsSpinal canalCerebral aqueductDisease progressionPlasma biomarkersTherapeutic strategiesImpaired clearanceCSF flowClearance differencesNeural Signatures of Bipolar Disorder and Psychotropic Medication Effects: A Multimodal PET–MRI Study
Asch R, Fan S, Cool R, Boster S, DellaGioia N, Naganawa M, Nabulsi N, Lacadie C, Pietrzak R, Esterlis I. Neural Signatures of Bipolar Disorder and Psychotropic Medication Effects: A Multimodal PET–MRI Study. Biological Psychiatry 2025 PMID: 41325959, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.11.018.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGray matter volumeBipolar disorderMedication effectsNeural signaturesPsychotropic medicationsFronto-limbic brain regionsAssociated with greater impulsivityPositron emission tomographyC]UCB-J positron emission tomographyNeurobiology of bipolar disorderSynaptic densitySynaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2AIllness-related changesMatter volumeSV2A densityBD individualsBrain regionsFunctional MRIBrain structuresGroup differencesSynaptic deficitsNeuroimaging findingsPET-MRI studiesMedical statusIn vivo evidenceA Comparative Analysis of CZT SPECT/CT to Conventional SPECT and PET: Implications for Risk Stratification
Ahmed A, Csecs I, Wright C, Kyriakoulis I, Kokkinidis D, Miller E, Feher A. A Comparative Analysis of CZT SPECT/CT to Conventional SPECT and PET: Implications for Risk Stratification. Journal Of Nuclear Cardiology 2025, 102583. PMID: 41325821, DOI: 10.1016/j.nuclcard.2025.102583.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDevelopment and Initial Evaluation of 3D-Printed High Resolution Brain Phantom for PET
Lo C, Shanina E, Gravel P, Hu Y, Lucero S, Martins S, Mulnix T, Fontaine K, Nejati S, Sun X, Li H, Qi J, Cherry S, Carson R, Toyonaga T. Development and Initial Evaluation of 3D-Printed High Resolution Brain Phantom for PET. IEEE Transactions On Radiation And Plasma Medical Sciences 2025, PP: 1-1. PMID: 41446501, PMCID: PMC12724537, DOI: 10.1109/trpms.2025.3638588.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPET systemPET system performanceBrain PET systemHigh-resolution PET systemsSpatial resolutionSuperior spatial resolutionBrain phantomPhantom typesPhantom preparationPhantomReconstruction parametersRepositioning accuracyContrast modulationHuman brain anatomyReconstructed imagesMode dataContrast ratioImage resolutionHigh-resolution 3D printingResolutionAnatomical fidelityWhite matterGray matterModeFidelityRadiologist-Validated Automatic Lumbar T1-Weighted Spinal MRI Segmentation Tool via an Attention U-Net Algorithm
Kalluvila A, Wang E, Hurley M, Freeman C, Johnson J. Radiologist-Validated Automatic Lumbar T1-Weighted Spinal MRI Segmentation Tool via an Attention U-Net Algorithm. Diagnostics 2025, 15: 3046. PMID: 41374427, PMCID: PMC12691307, DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics15233046.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAttention U-NetU-NetLoss functionMSE lossMRI segmentationSegmentation loss functionSegmentation toolU-Net algorithmDeep learningSegmentation applicationsSegmentation performanceSegmentation accuracyProcess of segmentationArtificial intelligenceSSIMDice coefficientHigher accuracyAlgorithmPrevalence of disc herniationMethods:MSESuperior resultsResults:ArchitectureFunction of choiceCorrigendum to “Applying dual energy computed tomography to postmortem coronary computed tomographic angiography” [J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr (in press)]
Solomon N, Hoerner M, Vermillion B, Jang S, Sanchez H, Gosangi B, Staib L, Thorn S, Liu C, Sinusas A. Corrigendum to “Applying dual energy computed tomography to postmortem coronary computed tomographic angiography” [J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr (in press)]. Journal Of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography 2025 PMID: 41309332, DOI: 10.1016/j.jcct.2025.11.003.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchImaging Neuroimmune Dysfunction: From TSPO to Emerging PET Targets
Bonomi R, Raval N, Hillmer A, Cosgrove K. Imaging Neuroimmune Dysfunction: From TSPO to Emerging PET Targets. Biological Psychiatry 2025 PMID: 41297785, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.11.010.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPositron emission tomographyPET targetsBrain-resident immune cellsPET imaging biomarkersResident immune cellsDevelopment of novel radiotracersTranslocator proteinPositron emission tomography imagingPsychiatric disordersPsychiatric illnessNeuroimmune systemImmune cellsDiagnostic strategiesNovel radiotracersImaging biomarkersEmission tomographyMicroglial levelsTherapeutic targetIn vivoNeuroimmuneYRT-PET-NX: Development of a Plugin for an Open-Source PET Reconstruction Platform to Support the NeuroEXPLORER
Najmaoui Y, Fontaine K, Fontaine D, Zhang J, Zeng T, Volpi T, Chemli Y, Gallezot J, Tétrault M, Carson R, Fakhri G, Marin T. YRT-PET-NX: Development of a Plugin for an Open-Source PET Reconstruction Platform to Support the NeuroEXPLORER. 2025, 00: 1-2. DOI: 10.1109/nss/mic/rtsd57106.2025.11287275.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchOpen-sourcePeak-to-valley ratioMini-Derenzo phantomReconstruction platformResolution PET scannerImage reconstruction toolsPacket decodingDetector geometryGPU accelerationMemory usagePET scannerPET systemAccurate system modelMotion correctionScatter estimationVendor softwareReconstruction timeImage reconstructionPluginImage qualitySoftwareHuman datasetsSystem modelManufacturing softwareNon-human primatesLR-PET: A Subspace-Based Dynamic PET Imaging via Explicit Non-Negative Low-Rank Factorization
Djebra Y, Najmaoui Y, Chemli Y, Normandin M, Fakhri G, Ma C, Marin T. LR-PET: A Subspace-Based Dynamic PET Imaging via Explicit Non-Negative Low-Rank Factorization. 2025, 00: 1-1. DOI: 10.1109/nss/mic/rtsd57106.2025.11286709.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchOn Hallucinations in Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content for Nuclear Medicine Imaging (the DREAM Report).
Xia M, Bayerlein R, Chemli Y, Liu X, Ouyang J, Lin M, El Fakhri G, Badawi R, Li Q, Liu C. On Hallucinations in Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content for Nuclear Medicine Imaging (the DREAM Report). Journal Of Nuclear Medicine 2025, jnumed.125.270653. PMID: 41198241, DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.125.270653.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConfirming expectations: Coronary artery calcification assessment provides diagnostic value in F18-flurpiridaz positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging
Feher A, Sinusas A. Confirming expectations: Coronary artery calcification assessment provides diagnostic value in F18-flurpiridaz positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging. Journal Of Nuclear Cardiology 2025, 54: 102559. PMID: 41197709, DOI: 10.1016/j.nuclcard.2025.102559.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchExceptional brain PET images from the NeuroEXPLORER: scans with targeted radiopharmaceuticals and comparison to HRRT
Volpi T, Toyonaga T, Khattar N, Gallezot J, Naganawa M, Vanderlinden G, Honhar P, Zeng T, Fontaine K, Mulnix T, Hu L, Sun X, Henry S, Matuskey D, Radhakrishnan R, Guo L, Hu Y, Zhang J, Zheng X, Nabulsi N, Huang Y, Badawi R, Cherry S, Hillmer A, Jones T, Liu C, Morris E, Qi J, Li H, Carson R. Exceptional brain PET images from the NeuroEXPLORER: scans with targeted radiopharmaceuticals and comparison to HRRT. European Journal Of Nuclear Medicine And Molecular Imaging 2025, 1-12. PMID: 41177836, DOI: 10.1007/s00259-025-07605-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchStandardized uptake valueTargeted radiopharmaceuticalsDopamine systemMultiple cortical areasSerotonin transporterRaphe nucleusMeasurement of tracer uptakeBrain regionsBrain structuresSubcortical nucleiPositron emission tomographyCortical areasSynaptic densityPET researchFocal uptakePaired scansUptake valueTracer uptakePET systemGray matterEarly imagesEmission tomographyHealthy individualsTracer deliveryNeuroExplorerConnectome caricatures remove large-amplitude coactivation patterns in resting-state fMRI to emphasize individual differences
Rodriguez R, Noble S, Camp C, Scheinost D. Connectome caricatures remove large-amplitude coactivation patterns in resting-state fMRI to emphasize individual differences. Nature Neuroscience 2025, 28: 2601-2611. PMID: 41184631, PMCID: PMC12641774, DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02099-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFunctional magnetic resonance imagingResting-state functional magnetic resonance imagingResting-state dataCoactivation patternsFunctional connectivityResting-state signalsBrain's intrinsic functional architectureResting-state functional connectivityIntrinsic functional architectureTask activation patternsTask fMRI dataHigh identifiersFMRI dataLarge-scale neuroimaging datasetsConnectomeFunctional architectureNeuroimaging datasetsActivity patternsTask dataMagnetic resonance imagingTaskResonance imagingPhenotypic measurementsSynthesis and Evaluation of [18F]Mefuparib and Its Analogues for PARP-Targeted Cancer Imaging
Tong J, Balayeva T, Mennie W, Hernandez-Martin N, Tan P, Li L, Chen B, Vesper D, Zhang H, Gao H, Wenn M, Labaree D, Nabulsi N, Huang H, Carson R, Cai J. Synthesis and Evaluation of [18F]Mefuparib and Its Analogues for PARP-Targeted Cancer Imaging. Nuclear Medicine And Biology 2025, 150: 109108. DOI: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2025.109108.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchApplying dual energy computed tomography to postmortem coronary computed tomographic angiography
Solomon N, Hoerner M, Vermillion B, Jang S, Sanchez H, Gosangi B, Staib L, Thorn S, Liu C, Sinusas A. Applying dual energy computed tomography to postmortem coronary computed tomographic angiography. Journal Of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography 2025 PMID: 41176442, PMCID: PMC12712555, DOI: 10.1016/j.jcct.2025.10.016.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDual-energy CTCoronary computed tomographic angiographyTomographic angiographyDual-energy computed tomographySimultaneous characterizationCoronary artery patencyContrast agentsIodinated contrastGadolinium contrastArtery patencyComputed tomographyMyocardial perfusionEpicardial vesselsPostmortem computed tomographyTissue perfusionGadolinium agentsVascular patencyVessel obstructionMyocardial tissuePostmortem settingAngiography