Research Summary

Daniel B. Vigneron, PhD, is a Professor in the Departments of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences and Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also Director of the UCSF Research Resource Program’s (RRP) Human Imaging Core Services recharge and the P41 NIH/NIBIB Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center. He is also the Operations Director of the Surbeck Laboratory for Advanced Imaging, Chair of the Radiology Research Safety & Compliance Committee, and a core member of the UCB/UCSF Graduate Group in Bioengineering at UCSF. Dr. Vigneron’s professional activities focus on the advancement of biomedical MRI research.

Dr. Vigneron’s research focuses on the development of advanced functional and metabolic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques for both basic research and clinical assessments of human diseases. This requires the development of new hardware/software and MR protocols to provide biochemical and functional information in addition to the anatomic information provided by clinical MRI. This research has been reported in over 350 total publications resulting in over 43,000 citations with an h-index of 112 and an i10-index of 360 (Google Scholar) and has been funded by 27 NIH grants, including as PI: 3 P41 center grant awards, 2 P01, 2 U01, 18 R01 and 2 S10 shared equipment awards. Also 7 NIH mentored career awards as the Primary Mentor have been funded.

Dr. Vigneron’s research was initially focused on developing 3D MR spectroscopic imaging for the non-invasive assessment of brain tumor metabolism. Another major research interest of Dr. Vigneron’s is the characterization of prostate cancer using novel MR metabolic imaging techniques. Developing specialized acquisitions techniques for prostate cancer MRSI has been a major project for Dr. Vigneron and his group. These techniques have now been used in over 8000 research and clinical studies at UCSF. He also has led technical development aspects for the UCSF Hyperpolarized (HP) Carbon-13 MR molecular imaging program and is the PI for 6 projects including NIH P41 center grant, 2 RO1's, a P01, and a Bioengineering Research Partnership (BRP U01) focused on this new stable isotope molecular MR imaging approach. This exciting new technology detects not only the uptake of the HP molecule, but also its metabolic conversion rates in vivo.

Dr. Vigneron obtained his BA in Chemistry from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut in 1983, and he received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from UCSF in 1988 for his graduate work on applying new MRI techniques for characterizing disease and therapy response. In 1990, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship from the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and in 1991 he completed a postdoctoral fellowship from UCSF.

Expertise:
Radiology and Biomedical Imaging

Specialty:
MRI, hyperpolarized MRI techniques, brain metabolism, prostate cancer

Professional Interests:
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Molecular Imaging, Metabolic Imaging, Diffusion tensor imaging, Oncologic Imaging, Prostate Cancer Imaging, Pediatric Imaging, Brain MRI, Radiology.



Education and Training:
• Bachelor of Arts: Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut - Chemistry, Pre-Med Studies
• Doctor of Philosophy: University of California, San Francisco - Pharmaceutical Chemistry
• Research Fellow: Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia
• Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar: University of California, San Francisco - Department of Radiology

Research Funding

  • July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2026 - Hyperpolarized C-13 MRI Techniques to Monitor Radiation Therapy Response in Prostate Cancer Patients , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA238379
  • December 1, 2020 - November 30, 2025 - Measuring Metabolic Activity in Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases Using Hyperpolarized 13C Pyruvate MRI for Improved Targeted Therapy Monitoring , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA256740
  • December 1, 2005 - July 31, 2024 - Noninvasive Metabolic Signatures to Improve Management of Molecular Subtypes of Glioma , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P01CA118816
  • April 11, 2019 - March 31, 2024 - Hyperpolarized C-13 MRI for Early Detection of Aggressive Prostate Cancer in Active Surveillance Patients , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01CA232320
  • June 1, 2019 - February 29, 2024 - Development and Translation of Hyperpolarized C-13 Prostate Cancer MRI Methods , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01EB026412
  • March 6, 2017 - February 28, 2022 - CLINICAL TRANSLATION OF HYPERPOLARIZED 13C-UREA FOR CANCER MR MOLECULAR IMAGING , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA214554
  • August 1, 2011 - July 31, 2021 - Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH/NIBIB, Sponsor Award ID: P41EB013598
  • July 1, 2011 - May 31, 2021 - Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P41EB013598
  • April 15, 2020 - April 14, 2021 - Upgrade of an Obsolete 3.35T DNP Polarizer to enable new HP C-13 Technology Development , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: S10OD025077
  • May 12, 2014 - February 29, 2020 - Translating HP 13C MRI as a Novel Paradigm for Assessing Drug Target Inhibition , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA183071
  • August 15, 2013 - July 31, 2019 - Development and Translation of Hyperpolarized C-13 Prostate Cancer MRI Methods , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01EB017449
  • September 30, 2012 - July 31, 2018 - Novel Hyperpolarized MR Markers of Advanced Prostate Cancer Therapy , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA166655
  • July 15, 2013 - May 31, 2018 - New Instrumentation and Techniques for Hyperpolarized Metabolic and Perfusion MRI , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01EB013427
  • August 9, 2010 - June 30, 2016 - Translation and Evaluation of a Multiparametric Prostate Cancer 3T Exam , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA137207
  • May 20, 1993 - February 28, 2014 - METABOLIC IMAGING OF THE PROSTATE USING 3-D MRSI , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA059897
  • September 27, 2006 - July 31, 2013 - Morphologic, Metabolic and Functional Prostate Imaging , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA111291
  • June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2012 - Hyperpolarized C-13 MR Exploratory Studies of Liver Cancer , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21CA137298
  • August 15, 2007 - April 30, 2012 - TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT FOR HYPERPOLARIZED C-13 MR STUDIES , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01EB007588
  • April 12, 2006 - February 28, 2012 - MR Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Prostate Cancer , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA103934
  • February 5, 2001 - January 31, 2007 - 3D MR SPECTROSCOPIC IMAGING OF THE NEWBORN BRAIN , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01NS040117
  • April 20, 2001 - March 31, 2004 - MR Metabolic Brain Imaging of the Infant Brain , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21NS040382

Education

Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, BA, 1983, Chemistry/Pre-Med
University of California San Francisco, CA, PhD, 1988, Pharm. Chemistry
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, 1990, Research Fellow
UCSF Dept. of Radiology, 1991, Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar

Honors & Awards

  • 1983
    Wesleyan University – Hawk Prize for Most Effective Work in Biochemistry
  • 1990
    NCI/NIH National Research Service Award
  • 1998-2000
    CaP Cure Foundation – Prostate Cancer Research Award
  • 2001
    American Society of Neuroradiology – Outstanding Presentation Award in Pediatric Neuroradiology
  • 2007
    American Society of Neuroradiology – Outstanding Presentation Award
  • 2007
    Elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
  • 2009
    International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine – Fellowship Award
  • 2011
    International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine – Distinguished Service Award
  • 2013
    Academy of Radiology Research – Distinguished Investigator Award
  • 2014
    World Molecular Imaging Society – Gold Medal Award

Selected Publications

  1. Punwani S, Larson PE, Laustsen C, VanderMeulen J, Ardenkjær-Larsen JH, Autry AW, Bankson JA, Bernard J, Bok R, Bertelsen LB, Che J, Chen AP, Chowdhury R, Comment A, Cunningham CH, Dang D, Gallagher FA, Gaunt A, Gong Y, Gordon JW, Grimmer A, Grist J, Hansen ESS, Lerche MH, Hesketh RL, Hoevener JB, Hsieh CY, Keshari KR, Kozerke S, Lanz T, Mayer D, McLean M, Park JM, Slater J, Tyler D, Vanderheyden JL, von Morze C, Zaccagna F, Zaha V, Xu D, Vigneron D, HP 13C MRI Consensus Group. Consensus Recommendations for Hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate MRI Multi-center Human Studies. ArXiv. 2025 Apr 29.  View on PubMed
  2. Liu X, Cui D, Larson PEZ, Mayer D, Korzowski A, Nielsen JF, Schulte RF, Mu C, Carvajal L, Xu D, Gordon JW, Vigneron DB, Flavell RR, Wang ZJ. Open-source implementation of X-nuclear sequences using the Pulseq framework. Magn Reson Med. 2025 Apr 02.  View on PubMed
  3. Kjaergaard U, Lund A, Redda M, Kristensen MH, Aastrup M, Bøgh N, Sivesgaard K, Ohliger MA, Vigneron DB, Bertelsen LB, Alstrup AKO, Hansen ESS, Mortensen FV, Laustsen C. Regional quantification of metabolic liver function using hyperpolarized [1-13C] pyruvate MRI. Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 26; 15(1):10482.  View on PubMed
  4. Kim Y, Chen HY, Nickles T, Shkliar I, Dang D, Slater J, Wang C, Gordon JW, Tan CT, Suszczynski C, Maddali S, Gaunt A, Chen R, Villanueva-Meyer J, Xu D, Larson PEZ, Kurhanewicz J, Bok RA, Chang S, Vigneron DB. Translation of hyperpolarized [13C,15N2]urea MRI for novel human brain perfusion studies. Npj Imaging. 2025; 3(1):11.  View on PubMed
  5. Autry AW, Kim Y, Dang D, Chen HY, Slater JB, Bok RA, Xu D, Lupo JM, Gordon JW, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Li Y, Chang SM. Clinical Translation of Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Probes for Glioma Imaging. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2025 Mar 05.  View on PubMed
  6. Kim Y, Nickles TM, Lee PM, Bok RA, Gordon JW, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, von Morze C, Ohliger MA. A data-driven approach for improved quantification of in vivo metabolic conversion rates of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate. Magn Reson Med. 2025 Jun; 93(6):2346-2356.  View on PubMed
  7. Sahin S, Haller AB, Gordon J, Kim Y, Hu J, Nickles T, Dai Q, Leynes AP, Vigneron DB, Wang ZJ, Larson PEZ. Spatially constrained hyperpolarized 13C MRI pharmacokinetic rate constant map estimation using a digital brain phantom and a U-Net. J Magn Reson. 2025 Feb; 371:107832.  View on PubMed
  8. Mu C, Liu X, Riselli A, Slater J, Escobar E, Dang D, Drapeau S, Delos Santos R, Andosca S, Nguyen H, Larson PEZ, Bok R, Vigneron DB, Kurhanewicz J, Wilson DM, Flavell RR. Protocol for producing hyperpolarized 13C-bicarbonate for clinical MRI of extracellular pH in aggressive tumors. STAR Protoc. 2024 Sep 20; 5(3):103091.  View on PubMed
  9. Diaz E, Sriram R, Gordon JW, Sinha A, Liu X, Sahin S, Crane J, Olson MP, Chen HY, Bernard J, Vigneron DB, Wang ZJ, Xu D, Larson PEZ. Data Format Standardization and DICOM Integration for Hyperpolarized 13C MRI. ArXiv. 2024 May 06.  View on PubMed
  10. Diaz E, Sriram R, Gordon JW, Sinha A, Liu X, Sahin SI, Crane JC, Olson MP, Chen HY, Bernard JML, Vigneron DB, Wang ZJ, Xu D, Larson PEZ. Data Format Standardization and DICOM Integration for Hyperpolarized 13C MRI. J Imaging Inform Med. 2024 Oct; 37(5):2627-2634.  View on PubMed
  11. Larson PEZ, Bernard JML, Bankson JA, Bøgh N, Bok RA, Chen AP, Cunningham CH, Gordon JW, Hövener JB, Laustsen C, Mayer D, McLean MA, Schilling F, Slater JB, Vanderheyden JL, von Morze C, Vigneron DB, Xu D, HP 13C MRI Consensus Group. Current methods for hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate MRI human studies. Magn Reson Med. 2024 Jun; 91(6):2204-2228.  View on PubMed
  12. Agarwal S, Gordon J, Bok RA, von Morze C, Vigneron DB, Kurhanewicz J, Ohliger MA. Distinguishing metabolic signals of liver tumors from surrounding liver cells using hyperpolarized 13 C MRI and gadoxetate. Magn Reson Med. 2024 May; 91(5):2114-2125.  View on PubMed
  13. Autry AW, Vaziri S, Gordon JW, Chen HY, Kim Y, Dang D, LaFontaine M, Noeske R, Bok R, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Clarke JL, Oberheim Bush NA, Chang SM, Xu D, Lupo JM, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Li Y. Advanced Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Imaging Protocol for Patients with Gliomas: A Comprehensive Multimodal MRI Approach. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Jan 13; 16(2).  View on PubMed
  14. Nickles TM, Kim Y, Lee PM, Chen HY, Ohliger M, Bok RA, Wang ZJ, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Gordon JW. Hyperpolarized 13 C metabolic imaging of the human abdomen with spatiotemporal denoising. Magn Reson Med. 2024 May; 91(5):2153-2161.  View on PubMed
  15. Chaumeil MM, Bankson JA, Brindle KM, Epstein S, Gallagher FA, Grashei M, Guglielmetti C, Kaggie JD, Keshari KR, Knecht S, Laustsen C, Schmidt AB, Vigneron D, Yen YF, Schilling F. New Horizons in Hyperpolarized 13C MRI. Mol Imaging Biol. 2024 Apr; 26(2):222-232.  View on PubMed
  16. Chen HY, Gordon JW, Dwork N, Chung BT, Riselli A, Sivalokanathan S, Bok RA, Slater JB, Vigneron DB, Abraham MR, Larson PEZ. Probing human heart TCA cycle metabolism and response to glucose load using hyperpolarized [2-13 C]pyruvate MRS. NMR Biomed. 2024 Mar; 37(3):e5074.  View on PubMed
  17. Liu X, Cui D, Xu D, Bok R, Wang ZJ, Vigneron DB, Larson PEZ, Gordon JW. Dynamic T2* relaxometry of hyperpolarized [1-13 C]pyruvate MRI in the human brain and kidneys. Magn Reson Med. 2024 Mar; 91(3):1030-1042.  View on PubMed
  18. Larson PE, Bernard JM, Bankson JA, Bøgh N, Bok RA, Chen AP, Cunningham CH, Gordon J, Hövener JB, Laustsen C, Mayer D, McLean MA, Schilling F, Slater J, Vanderheyden JL, von Morze C, Vigneron DB, Xu D, HP 13C MRI Consensus Group. Current Methods for Hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate MRI Human Studies. ArXiv. 2023 Nov 22.  View on PubMed
  19. Yeste J, Azagra M, Ortega MA, Portela A, Matajsz G, Herrero-Gómez A, Kim Y, Sriram R, Kurhanewicz J, Vigneron DB, Marco-Rius I. Parallel detection of chemical reactions in a microfluidic platform using hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance. Lab Chip. 2023 Nov 21; 23(23):4950-4958.  View on PubMed
  20. Hong D, Kim Y, Mushti C, Minami N, Wu J, Cherukuri MK, Swenson RE, Vigneron DB, Ronen SM. Monitoring response to a clinically relevant IDH inhibitor in glioma-Hyperpolarized 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy approaches. Neurooncol Adv. 2023 Jan-Dec; 5(1):vdad143.  View on PubMed

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