Dr. Chen''s research interests are in the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and the application of these techniques for the functional assessment of cardiopulmonary disease and disorders. Currently, their efforts are directed towards the following projects:

1. Assessment of local lung mechanics with tissue tagging MRI: We are investigating the use of spin-labeled stripes or grids of magnetization as internal fiducial markers to track the underlying parenchymal tissue motion and deformation of the lung. This will allow noninvasive assessments of regional pulmonary mechanical function, which is not possible at present time. Such a method will not only lead to a better understanding of normal lung mechanics, but will also permit the assessment of pathological conditions in which regional mechanical function is altered.

2. Arterial spin labeling MRI of myocardial perfusion: Arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI uses magnetically labeled inflowing blood as an endogenous contrast agent to measure regional blood flow. Such technique not only allows for noninvasive assessment of regional myocardial blood flow with high spatial resolution, but also eliminates the need of exogenous contrast agents. The ultimate goal of the project is to improve and to validate the MRI approach so that quantitative myocardial perfusion can be assessed in the routine clinical setting.