Project P7
Understanding and monitoring renal microvascular remodeling in CKD by super-resolution ultrasound
PD Dr. rer. nat. Sonja Djudjaj, PhD
Institute of Pathology
Department of Nephrology
University hospital RWTH Aachen
E-Mail: sdjudjaj@ukaachen.de
Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Fabian Kiessling
Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging
RWTH Aachen University
E-Mail: fkiessling@ukaachen.de
Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Georg Schmitz
Chair for Medical Engineering
Ruhr University Bochum
E-Mail: georg.schmitz@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Pathological microvascular remodeling and microvascular dysfunction are common findings and contributing factors in progressive CKD, but in-vivo imaging methods that allow for their quantification are not available. Recently, we developed a super-resolution ultrasound method, enabling a highly detailed microvascular characterization of tissues at the morphologic and functional level.
We here aim to develop super-resolution ultrasound for experimental and clinical nephrology to analyze microvascular alterations in kidney diseases. Our aims are to (i) establish super-resolution ultrasound imaging in mice and humans and ii) investigate renal microvascular remodeling during the transition from AKI to CKD including the role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). Furthermore, using super-resolution ultrasound and radiomic analyses, we will perform a first clinical trial with patients with different stages of CKD.
Dencks, S, Piepenbrock, M, Schmitz, G. Assessing Vessel Reconstruction in Ultrasound Localization Microscopy by Maximum-Likelihood Estimation of a Zero-Inflated Poisson Model. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 2020; 67:1603-1612
Dencks S, Piepenbrock M, Opacic T, Krauspe B, Stickeler E, Kiessling F, Schmitz G. Clinical Pilot Application of Super-Resolution US Imaging in Breast Cancer. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control 2019; 66:517-526.
Opacic T, Dencks S, Theek B, Piepenbrock M, Ackermann D, Rix A, Lammers T, Stickeler E, Delorme S, Schmitz G, Kiessling F. Motion model ultrasound localization microscopy for preclinical and clinical multiparametric tumor characterization. Nat Commun 2018; 9(1527)
Stoppe C, Averdunk L, Goetzenich A, Soppert J, Marlier A, Kraemer S, Vieten J, Coburn M, Stevanovic A, Kim B-S, Marx G, Rex S, Ochi A, Leng L, Moeckel G, Linkermann A, El Bounkari O, Zarbock A, Bernhagen J, Djudjaj S* & Bucala R* & Boor P* (*joint last). The protective role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery. Sci Transl Med 2018; 10(441):eaan4886
Ehling J, Bábíčková J, Gremse F, Klinkhammer BM, Baetke S, Knuechel R, Kiessling F, Floege J, Lammers T, Boor P. Quantitative Micro-Computed Tomography Imaging of Vascular Dysfunction in Progressive Kidney Diseases. J Am Soc Nephrol 2016; 27:520-32
Selected Publications