Dr. Tracy Richmond McKnight, PhD

The primary goal of our research program is to investigate the metabolic mechanisms associated with the malignant progression of brain tumors. Our current approach is to correlate in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopic (MRS) features of human brain tumors with ex vivo measures of metabolism and other molecular alterations associated with tumor aggressiveness.

The expectation is that early molecular events that are invisible on conventional MRI, cause a change in metabolism that can be detected with MRS and/or physiological MRI methods. We expect that investigating the link between metabolism and tumor progression at both the systemic and cellular levels will lead to rapid translation of key relationships discovered “in the dish” to more informative clinical methods for monitoring brain tumor patients.

Investigational techniques

• 3D MRS imaging at 1.5T and 3T (human subjects in vivo) 
• Single voxel MRS at 7T (animal models in vivo)
• Physiological MRI
  
  • T2 relaxometry (animal models)
  • Diffusion-weighted imaging (human and animal)
• High-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) MRS (tissue and cells)
• Immunohistochemistry
• Fluorescence in situ-hybridization

Lab Members 

    

Pamela Jackson - Graduate Student    Kenneth Smith - Staff Research Asst

Rabia Siddiqi - Medical Student           Laura Haire and Liliana De La Paz