Xemed has learned that the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine selected Isabel Dregely, a Xemed collaborator who completed her PhD in the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Physics last December 2010, as the recipient of their W.S.Moore Young Investigator Award. Three finalists competed by presenting talks in a plenary session and by defending a poster on their work to the awards committee. The selection process was completed on Thursday May 12 at this year’s annual meeting in Montreal, Canada, and the award was presented by Dr. Li Debiao, President of the Society.
The subject of Dr. Dregely’s research was “Hyperpolarized Xenon-129 Gas-Exchange Imaging of Lung Microstructure: Preliminary Results in Subjects with Obstructive Lung Disease”. She used magnetic resonance imaging to map out in three-dimensions the rate of uptake of gases within the lungs, and determine the density of gas exchange tissues as well as the thickness of these tissues in healthy volunteers and patients with lung disease. Professor Bill Hersman of UNH and Xemed directed her research project, which included collaborators from Xemed, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital. This work could be important for upcoming clinical trials of new lung medicines or for personalized care and management of patients.
Figure 1. Kai Ruppert (UVa), Isabel Dregely (UNH), and Bill Hersman (UNH and Xemed) at the ISMRM Young Investigator Award ceremony
Figure 2. Dr. Dregely’s work included the development of a xenon-tuned chest coil with 32 radiofrequency receive elements to detect the imaging signals from MagniXene™