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

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.
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 the most sensitive and specific viability imaging modalities when predicting functional recovery. Viability imaging can predict functional recovery, but existing imaging technologies have limitations that could affect long-term outcomes of revascularization procedures.

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. Improve the accuracy of full coregistration of PET and UUI image volumes in 4D using the tools developed in the lab.
2. Extend UUI to perfusion imaging of the myocardium using contrast agents.
3. Apply PET-UUI to perfusion, stiffness, and metabolic imaging of the heart in permanent and temporary (ischemia-reperfusion) models in rodents.
4. Progress towards the definition of new biomarkers of myocardial viability.

Anticipated outcomes: Obtain and validate a new biomarker linking cardiac metabolism, output, and perfusion.

Role of the doctoral student: Realize and analyze imaging experiments in the animal model.

Contact: Send CV and motivation letter to Bertrand Tavitian (Project supervisor): bertrand.tavitian@inserm.fr