MITU

Our team develops and validates novel technological tools for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic support and monitoring of brain and other somatic disorders (i.e., psychiatric disorders but also neurodegenerative diseases, neurovascular disorders, cancer, obstetrical diseases, etc.). Our approach is rooted in our multimodal expertise in imaging (ultrasound, molecular imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging) and in ultrasound-based therapies. We aimed at transferring our technological developments to clinical practice with a special focus on neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.

The team is multidisciplinary by nature including physicists, chemists, radiochemists, mathematicians, biologists, anatomists, pharmacists and medical doctors. Our team hosts state-of-the-art technological facilities and benefits from a strong interface with the hospital.
 

Objectives

• To develop imaging biomarkers, radiopharmaceuticals and technologies for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic support and monitoring of brain and other somatic disorders
• To develop therapeutic ultrasound devices

Approach: multimodal-multiscale imaging; multidisciplinary; translational; multi-models

Specific research axis

Imaging technologies and processing

This axis focuses on developing specific measurements and mathematical models to further improve the resolution, sensitivity, and analysis of different imaging technologies. In particular, we develop:

• Ultraprecise flow measurements for Ultrasound Localization Microscopy Imaging (ULM) to improve perfusion imaging
• Mathematical models for image analysis and quantification
  • To estimate metabolic connectivity
  • To improve segmentation of atypical brains (e.g., pediatric and geriatric)
  • To better quantify PET images
• Atlases of the brain, including white matter
• Anatomical and synthetic ground truth for the development and validation of innovative imaging methods.

Biomedical imaging

We investigate new biomarkers and develop innovative radiotracers that aim to improve the early diagnosis of neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, neurooncological and neurodegenerative disorders, and to improve the imaging diagnosis and the guidance of therapeutic interventions (pharmacological treatments, therapeutic ultrasound and surgery) of these disorders. More specifically, our current projects target:

• The discovery of ultrasound imaging biomarkers, including tissue elasticity, vascularisation and pulsatility for neuropsychiatric, neurooncological and neurodegenerative disorders
• The role of α-synuclein and TDP43 proteins in Parkinson’s disease and ALS/FTD, respectively
• The mechanisms of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease
• The development of radiotracers for neuroreceptors linked to various neuropsychiatric conditions and for enzymes linked to neuroinflammation and brain tumours invasiveness
• The role of serotonin and dopamine receptors in depression

Therapeutic interventions

We design and validate new concepts, protocols and devices for acoustically mediated drug delivery and ultrasound neuromodulation. Our developments are directed to brain diseases and any other diseases/disorders where ultrasound technologies offer an attractive benefit. We are involved in all steps of the validation of new therapeutic devices, protocols and concept from the proof-of-concept to the clinical trials.