BMIL People

Meet the people of the Biomedical Imaging Lab in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University.

Principal Investigator

Postdoctoral Fellows

Madhusudhana Gargesha, PhD

Email: mxg183@case.edu 

Gargesha is a senior research associate for BMIL. He earned an MS and PhD in electrical engineering from Arizona State University and his BE in electronics and communications engineering from Banglore University in India. 

Gargesha's current research interests include image preprocessing, analysis and  4D visualization of high-throughput OCT image data from embryonic avian and murine models, and preprocessing and visualization of color cryo-imaging data from small animal models including rats and mice.

Rachid Fahmi, PhD

Fahmi earned a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from University of Louisville; a PhD and MSc in applied mathematics from Université Paul Verlaine, France; and a BSc in applied mathematics from Université Hassan II, France.

His current research focus is on CT Cardiac Perfusion.

Graduate Students

Mohammed Qutaish, PhD

Email: mqq@case.edu
Connect with Mohammed Qutaish on LinkedIn

Qutaish earned a MS and PhD in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a BS in biomedical engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology, in Irbid, Jordan.

Quraish is working on building a platform technology to optimize Cryo-imaging methods and software to provide unique 3D, quantitative characterization of tumor models and assessment of theranostics and imaging agent targeting of dispersing and metastatic tumor. 

Publications:

• MQ Qutaish, SM Burden-Gulley, KE Sullivant, M. Tan, SE Craig , JP  Basilion, ZR Lu, DL Wilson, SM Brady-Kalnay, “Single cell molecular recognition of migrating and invading tumor cells using a targeted fluorescent probe to receptor PTPmu”. International Journal of Cancer 2013.
• M. Qutaish, K. Sullivant, S.M. Burden-Gulley, H. Lu, D. Roy, J. Wang, JP.P. Basilion, S. M. Brady-Kalnay and D. Wilson, “Cryo-image analysis of tumor cell migration,invasion, and dispersal in a mouse xenograft model of human glioblastomamultiforme”,  Molecular Imaging and Biology, 2011.
• S.M. Burden-Gulley, M. Qutaish, K. Sullivant,  J. Wang, S.E.L Craig, J. P. Basilion, D. Wilson and S.M. Brady-Kalnay, “Novel cryo-imaging of the tumormicroenvironment reveals glioma cell migration and dispersal pathways in vividthree-dimensional detail”, Cancer Research, 2011.
• M. Gargesha, M. Qutaish, D. Roy, G. Steyer, H. Bartsch and D.L. Wilson. “Visualizationof color anatomy and molecular fluorescence in whole-mouse cryo-imaging”, Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics (CMIG), Epub in press, 2010.
• M. Gargesha, M. Qutaish, D. Roy, G. Steyer, H. Bartsch, D. Wilson “Enhancedvolume rendering techniques for high-resolution color cryo-imaging data”, SPIE; Proc Soc Photo Opt Instrum Eng.2009; 7262:72655V.

Patiwet Wuttisarnwattana, MS

PhD Candidate
Email: pxw110@case.edu
Phone: 216.368.8812 (Lab)
Connect with Patiwet Wuttisarnwattana on LinkedIn

Wuttisarnwattana was a full scholarship recipient from the Royal Thai Government to pursue an MS and PhD in biomedical engineering. He's the lab webmaster for BMIL and the mini cryo-imaging software developer for BMIL. He received the WMIC 2013 Best Poster Presentation Award in Savannah, Georgia, and the SPIE 2014 Best Poster Presentation Award (Cum Laude) in San Diego, California. He received an MS in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a BEng in computer engineering, first class honors, from Chiang Mai University in Thailand.

His current research is to study cell therapy and their bio-distribution in mice including stem cell bio-distribution, inflammatory cell bio-distribution and microsphere bio-distribution. In many experiments, he injected fluorescent labeled cells as well as non-cellular particles into mice and studied where these cells went and how they interacted with the hosts in various conditions. Currently, he is studying how mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) can suppress T-lymphocyte proliferation in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). As a biomedical engineer, he has employed many advance technologies such as Cryo-imaging system (invented by our lab), Matlab programming and Amira visualization which enable one to visualize and analyze the data with the whole new scale. Generally, his topics of interest are computer vision and pattern recognition in medical imaging. He is also deeply interested in stem cell therapy and general histopathology. 

Publications and abstract submissions:

• J.J. Auletta, S. Eid, L. Metheny, M.D. Keller, R. Guardia-Wolff, C. Liu, F. Wang, T. Bowen, P. Wuttisarnwattana, Z. Lee, L.A. Solchaga, D.L. Wilson, K.R. Cooke, "Human mesenchymal stem cells attenuate graft-versus-host disease and maintain graft-versus-leukemia activity following experimental allogeneic bone marrow transplantation",  in press
• P. Wuttisarnwattana ; S.A. Raza ; S. Eid ; K. R. Cooke and D.L. Wilson "Novel T lymphocyte proliferation assessment using whole mouse cryo-imaging", Proc. SPIE 9038, Medical Imaging 2014: Biomedical Applications in Molecular, Structural, and Functional Imaging, 90381U (March 13, 2014); doi:10.1117/12.2042960
• P. Wuttisarnwattana, D. Wilson, K. Cooke and S. Eid, “Mesenchymal Stem Cell Immunomodulation Effects on Graft-Versus-Host Disease as Determined with Cryo-imaging”, 2013 World Molecular Imaging Congress, Savannah, GA
• P. Wuttisarnwattana, M. Gargesha, M. Qutaish, K. Sullivant and D. Wilson, “Stem Cell Detection for Whole-Mouse, Microscopic Cryo-imaging Data”, 2011 World Molecular Imaging Congress, San Diego, CA
• P. Wuttisarnwattana, M. Gargesha, and D. Wilson, “Stem Cell Detection and Quantification for Cryo-imaging System”, in press
• P. Wuttisarnwattana, W. Vant Hof, and D. Wilson, “Mesenchymal Stem Cell Immunomodulation Effects on Graft-Versus-Host Disease as Determined with Cryo-imaging”, in press
• K. Sullivant, M. Qutaish, P. Wuttisarnwattana, M. Gargesha, S. Katari, H. Lu, A. Deshmane, N. Tenley, J. Molter, S. Eid, J. Auletta, A. Raber, W. Hof , K. Cooke, Z. Lee, and D. Wilson, “Cryo-Imaging and SPECT imaging of Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells in a Mouse Model of Graft-versus-Host Disease”, 2011 World Molecular Imaging Congress
• D. Wilson, M. Gargesha, D. Roy, M. Qutaish, G. Krishnamurthi, K. Sullivant,P. Wuttisarnwattana, H. Lu, B. Moore and C. Anderson, “Cryo-imaging of 70+gb mice: image processing/visualization challenges and biotechnology applications”, 2011 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging

Hong Lu, BS

PhD Candidate
Email: hxl286@case.edu

Lu received a BS in biomedical engineering from Tianjin University, China. Her research interests are biomedical image processing, and is currently focusing on Stent strut analysis using OCT.

David Prabhu, BS

PhD Student
Email: dsp15@case.edu

Prabhu received a BS in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University. His research interests are Atherosclerosis plaques characterization using OCT and Cryo-imaging.

Brendan Eck, BS

PhD Student
Email: ble14@case.edu
Phone: 216.368.8812 (Lab)

Eck received a BS in physics and mathematics, summa cum laude, from Wright State University. 

His current work is in the development of a CT Myocardial Perfusion scan protocol and software analysis package. His focus is in x-ray dose reduction and perfusion measurement. In dose reduction, we have evaluated lesion detection by human observers in 4-Alternative Forced Choice (4AFC) experiments at nominal and reduced dose with both standard Filtered Back Projection (FBP) and a knowledge-based iterative reconstruction algorithm (Philips IMR). We compared human results to a model observer with good agreement, and continue to develop this observer for reconstruction optimization to reduce the need for time-consuming, costly human observer studies. In perfusion measurement, we employ physiological models with time-activity curves from the arterial input and myocardial tissue to obtain blood flow. Using our Cryo-imaging system we can validate this technique by fluorescent microspheres, and obtain a spatial distribution of spheres in pig hearts. My broader interest is in non- and minimally-invasive diagnostic imaging.

Publications:

• Wilson,D , Miao,J , Raihani,N , Brown,K , Eck,B , “Quantitative Image Quality Evaluation of Low Dose Iterative Reconstruction”, Radiological Society of North America 2012 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting; November 25- November 30, 2012 Chicago IL.

Alumni

Christian Anderson, BS (Class of 2012)

Jun Miao, PhD (Class of 2012)

Dissertation: Optimization of Fast MR Imaging Technologies using the Case-PDM to Quantitatively Assess Image Quality

Sreenath P Narayan, MD, PhD (Class of 2012)

Dissertation: Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Hepatic Fat Content Measurements at 7 Tesla

Kristin Sullivant, MS (Class of 2011)

Research Topics: Cryo-Image Analysis of Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells in a Mouse Model of Graft-versus Host Disease and MS Plan B

Grant Steyer, PhD (Class of 2010)

Dissertation: Imaging of Cardiovascular Cellular Therapeutics with a Cryo-imaging System

David H. Johnson, PhD (Class of 2010)

Dissertation: Phenotyping Rodent Models of Obesity Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Debashish Roy, PhD (Class of 2010)

Dissertation: 3D Cryo-Imaging System for Whole Mouse

Meredith E. Stone, MS (Class of 2008)

Thesis: Imaging of Blood Vessels: Parameter Estimation in MRI and Cryo-Imaging Techniques

Olivier Salvado, PhD (Class of 2006)

Dissertation: Characterization of Atherosclerosis with Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Challenges and Validation