Advancing Biomedical MRI

Research Area Focus

We develop and apply advanced magnetic resonance (MR) methods to understand the structure, function, metabolism, and physiology of the human brain across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Our research spans cellular microstructure, tissue organization, fluid dynamics, metabolism, and whole-brain connectivity, with the overarching goal of identifying the biological mechanisms that underlie brain health, ageing, and neurological and psychiatric disease. We combine novel diffusion, motion, spectroscopic, and metabolic imaging techniques to probe cellular composition, water and metabolite mobility, and tissue physiology in vivo. Using advanced approaches such as deuterium metabolic imaging, we investigate how alterations in brain metabolism precede visible structural damage. We further study the movement of cerebrospinal and interstitial fluids, including glymphatic transport pathways, to understand their role in waste clearance, brain maintenance, and disease processes.

To achieve a comprehensive understanding of brain organization and plasticity, we integrate MRI with complementary imaging modalities, including X-ray nano-holotomography and light-sheet microscopy. This enables the creation of translational three-dimensional representations of the brain that bridge scales from cellular structures, membranes, and neural networks to whole-brain connectivity. These approaches allow us to investigate how microstructural organization supports brain function and how neurodegeneration, inflammation, and other pathological processes affect the brain at different levels of organization.

Central to this work is also the National 7 tesla ultra-high-field MRI facility housed at DRCMR; the most powerful human scanner in Denmark. This system provides exceptional image and spectral resolution for studies of the brain and body. We develop new MR hardware, pulse sequences, and quantitative imaging methods while supporting a broad range of neuroscience, neurology, and psychiatry research projects. Together, these efforts establish a unique platform for advancing our understanding of the human brain and translating methodological innovations into clinical and biological insights.

Research Vision

Our vision is to transform magnetic resonance imaging from a primarily descriptive tool into a quantitative window on the living human brain, capable of measuring specific biological processes that drive health, plasticity and disease. By combining advances in ultra-high-field MRI, microstructural imaging, neurofluid dynamics, metabolism, and multi-scale validation, we aim to establish a new generation of biomarkers that directly reflect specific cellular structure, tissue physiology and metabolism.

A central ambition is to bridge the gap between methodological innovation and clinical impact. Rather than developing technologies in isolation, we work closely with researchers and clinicians across neuroscience, neurology and psychiatry to ensure that new imaging methods address pressing biological and clinical questions. This includes understanding the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, inflammation, psychiatric disorders, brain plasticity, ageing, and treatment response, as well as their interactions with the rest of the body.

Essential for reaching this goal is a strong connection to the other research areas at DRCMR as well as collaborations with international and Danish groups to both accelerate methodological developments as well as the translation to robust applications.