Daniel B. Vigneron Lab

Professor Daniel Vigneron's research focuses on the development of advanced functional and metabolic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques for the study of prostate cancer, brain tumors, and diseases. 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. The Vigneron lab group develops novel coil and software techniques for high field MRI, MR spectroscopy and MR diffusion imaging techniques. The group has optimized these 3T & 7T MR methods for studies of brain, prostate cancer and other organs and diseases. The Vigneron lab, located in Byers Hall on the UCSF Mission Bay campus, are now 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 Operations Director overseeing the technical operations of the Surbeck Laboratory. Dr. Vigneron is the Director of the NIH-funded Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center (HMTRC) and project leader for the development of novel DNP methology and HP MR acquisition techniques. He also directs the UCSF Advanced Imaging Technologies Specialized Resource Group and the UCSF RRP Human Imaging Services Core.

Group Events

Wreath Contest

Snowflake Contest

Detecting Disease Using Advanced MRI: Daniel Vigneron, PhD

UCSF MR Imaging Labs Tour Video

2023 UCSF Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Images Magazine

Dr. Yaewon Kim - ENC Awardee

Graduate Student Philip Lee Selected as a 2023 ISMRM Young Investigator Finalist

Publication #347 Title: Investigating Cerebral Perfusion with High Resolution Hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]Pyruvate MRI

Authors: Hu JY, Vaziri S, Bøgh N, Kim Y, Autry AW, Bok RA, Li Y, Laustsen C, Xu D, Larson PEZ, Chang S, Vigneron DB, Gordon JW

Purpose: To investigate high-resolution hyperpolarized (HP) ¹³C pyruvate MRI for measuring cerebral perfusion in the human brain.

Publication #346 Title: Hyperpolarized [2-¹³C]Pyruvate MR Molecular Imaging with Whole Brain Coverage

Authors: Chung BT, Kim Y, Gordon JW, Chen HY, Autry AW, Lee PM, Hu JY, Tan CT, Suszczynski C, Chang SM, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Bok RA, Larson PEZ, Xu D, Li Y, Vigneron DB

Conclusions: This research project developed a new approach using a specialized HP ¹³C MR RF pulse sequence for acquiring volumetric and dynamic EPI of HP [2-¹³C]pyruvate metabolism to [5-¹³C]glutamate and to [2-¹³C]lactate probing glycolytic and oxidative metabolism simultaneously, and demonstrated feasibility and initial results in five normal volunteer studies.

Publication #345 Title: Multi-Parametric Hyperpolarized ¹³C/¹H Imaging Reveals Walburg-Related Metabolic Dysfunction and Associated Regional Heterogeneity in High-Grade Human Gliomas

Authors: Autry AW, Vaziri S, LaFontaine M, Gordon JW, Chen HY, Kim Y, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Molinaro A, Clarke JL, Oberheim Bush NA, Xu D, Lupo JM, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Chang SM, Li Y

Conclusions: GBM consistently displayed aberrant, Warburg-related metabolism and regional heterogeneity detectable by novel HP-¹³C/¹H imaging techniques.