Daniel B. Vigneron Lab

Daniel B. Vigneron LabDaniel B. Vigneron, PhD
Professor
Director, Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center
Associate Director, Surbeck Laboratory for Advanced Imaging
Director, Advanced Imaging Technologies SRG

Professor Daniel Vigneron focuses on developing novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging acquisition techniques for the study of prostate cancer, brain disorders and pediatric brain development. He is also a core member of UCB/UCSF Graduate Group in Bioengineering.

Dr. Vigneron's group of researchers focus on developing new metabolic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques for both basic research and clinical assessments of human diseases. This requires the development of new hardware/software and MR protocols to provide biochemical information in addition to the anatomic information provided by clinical MRI. With the acquisition of a 3 Tesla MR scanner and now a 7T MR system, the Vigneron lab group has been developing novel coil and software techniques for high field MRI, MR spectroscopy and MR diffusion imaging techniques. The group has optimized these 3T MR methods for studies of brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, and prostate cancer at the Center for Molecular and Functional Imaging at China Basin. At the Mission Bay campus, they are developing improved acquisition techniques and hardware for multinuclear MR spectroscopy including hyperpolarized carbon-13 metabolic imaging in the Surbeck Laboratory for Advanced Imaging. The group has a particular focus on the development of novel 3T and 7T MR methods and Dr. Vigneron is the Associate Director managing the technical operations of the Surbeck Laboratory. Dr. Vigneron is the director of the NIH-funded Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center (HMTRC) and the project leader for the development of specialized dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) methology & HP 13C MR acquisition techniques.

Research Directions

Main Goal of Our Research

Current Magnetic Resonance imaging studies are hindered by poor spatial resolution and limited metabolic information. Vigneron group’s mission is to develop new techniques for high-resolution anatomic, metabolic and microstructural imaging and to translate these novel methods into clinical radiological tools through collaborations with basic scientists, industry, clinical scientists, and physicians. To achieve this goal we are advancing basic imaging science through novel acquisition technique development and initial applications to preclinical and human volunteer testing.  We aim to utilize the state-of-the-art imaging hardware including high field 3T and 7 T MR scanners, 11T and 14 T NMR systems, and hyper-polarizer instrumentation to advance our understanding of human disease and create new methods to detect pathology and monitor response to therapy.

  • Development of novel hardware and software techniques for 7 Tesla MRI, MR spectroscopy and MR diffusion imaging techniques
  • Development of new Hyperpolarized C-13 MR techniques for metabolic imaging of cancer
  • Improvement and Translation of 3 Tesla MR spectroscopy sequences for prostate and brain