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Greg Stanisz
Greg Stanisz, PhD

Senior scientist

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
2075 Bayview Ave., Room S6 72
Toronto, ON
M4N 3M5

Phone: 416-480-5725
Fax: 416-480-5714

Administrative Assistant: Anzu Hara
Phone: 416-480-5712
Email: anzu.hara@sunnybrook.ca

Education:

  • PhD, 1990, physics, Jagellonion University, Poland

Appointments and Affiliations:

Research Foci:

The goal of Dr. Stanisz’s studies is to develop magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to improve specificity and sensitivity of non-invasive image methods in characterizing tissue pathology. We use MRI both in animal models of disease and in patients. In particular we use MRI to evaluate tissue microstructure and metabolism in a variety of different disorders. Our research interests include, but are not limited to, the following:

Cancer:

  • Optimizing MRI methods to predict tumour response to treatment
  • Applying new imaging technology for MRI-Linac and MRI-brachytherapy systems
  • Developing MRI methods to assess radiation dose
  • Testing new multimodal contrast agents for improved specificity of cancer diagnosis.

Neuroscience:

  • Characterizing new models of spinal cord injury and testing new treatments for spinal cord injury
  • Understanding the mechanisms of tissue damage in the central nervous system
  • Evaluating brain metabolism using magnetic resonance spectroscopy in response to microbiotic treatment in animal models of depression.

Our group has access to the following facilities:

  • 3 T MRI human systems (GE, Phillips, Siemens)
  • 7 T MRI animal scanner (Bruker)
  • Animal PET/SPECT/CT system (MILabs)
  • Multiphoton in vivo microscope (Olympus)

Research Summary:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proved to be a useful diagnostic tool that enables the imaging of soft tissue noninvasively. Measured MRI signal characteristics depend on the physical and chemical processes experienced by water molecules in tissues. Dr. Stanisz's work involves studies that quantitatively characterize the MRI signal behaviour in various types of normal and pathological tissues in order to obtain information about tissue microstructure and metabolism. Quantitative MRI can be used to estimate physical tissue parameters such as cell dimensions, cell membrane permeability, translational and rotational motion of water in intracellular and extracellular tissue compartments, and extracellular and intracellular volume fractions.

His team is measuring basic MR properties of tissue using a 7T Bruker preclinical MRI system, and developing tissue multicompartmental models in order to correlate experimental data with tissue histopathology data. They are particularly interested in whether nuclear MR measurements such as T1 and T2 relaxation times, diffusion or magnetization transfer between water and macromolecules can be used to evaluate the processes involved in central nervous system pathologies.

In addition, the team is using MRI to monitor cancer therapies in preclinical models of cancer and in patients. In particular, his group is interested in evaluating changes in tumour microstructure and metabolism and the processes of apoptosis (programmed cell death) using combined MRI and MR spectroscopy.

Selected Publications:

See current publications list at PubMed.

  1. Lam W, Oakden W, Murray L, Klein J, Iorio C, Screaton R, Koletar M, Chu W, Liu S, Stanisz GJ. Differentiation of normal and radioresistant prostate cancer xenografts using magnetization transfer-prepared MRI. Sci Rep. 2018 Jul 11;8(1):10447.
  2. Mehrabian H, Myrehaug S, H, Soliman H, Sahgal A, Stanisz GJ. Evaluation of glioblastoma (GBM) response to therapy with chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST). Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2018 Jul 1;101(3):713–723. Epub 2018 Apr 4.
  3. Mehrabian H, Lam WW, Myrehaug S, Sahgal A, Stanisz GJ. Glioblastoma (GBM) effects on quantitative MRI parameters of contralateral normal appearing white matter. J Neurooncol. 2018;139(1).
  4. Mehrabian H, Myrehaug S, H, Soliman H, Sahgal A, Stanisz GJ. Quantitative magnetization transfer in monitoring glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) response to therapy. Sci Rep. 2018.
  5. Mehrabian H, Desmond KL, Soliman H, Sahgal A, Stanisz GJ. Chemical exchange saturation transfer in differentiation between radiation necrosis and tumour progression in brain metastasis treated with steriotactic radiosurgery. Clin Cancer Res. 2017;23(14):3667–3675. Epub 2017 Jan 17.
  6. Van Zijl PCM, Lam WW, Xu J, Knutsson L, Stanisz GJ. Magnetization transfer contrast and chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI. Features and analysis of the field-dependent saturation spectrum. Neuroimage. Epub 2017 Apr 20. pii: S1053-8119(17)30340-3. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.04.045.
  7. Oakden W., Bock N., Al-Ebraheem A., Farquharson M., Stanisz GJ. Early regional cuprizone induced demyelination in a rat model revealed with MRI. NMR Biomed. Epub 2017 May 22. doi: 10.1002/nbm.3743.
  8. Mehrabian H, Desmond KL, Soliman H, Sahgal A, Stanisz GJ. Differentiation between radiation necrosis and tumor progression using chemical exchange saturation transfer. Clin Cancer Res. Epub 2017 Jan 17. pii: clincanres.2265.2016. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-2265.
  9. Mehrabian H, Desmond KL, Chavez S, Bailey C, Radoslaw R,Sahgal A, Czarnota GJ, Soliman H, Martel A, Stanisz GJ. Water exchange rate constant as a biomarker of treatment efficacy in patients with brain metastases undergoing Stereotactic RadioSurgery. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2017;98(1):47–
  10. Desmond KL, Mehrabian H, Chavez S, Sahgal A, Soliman H, Rola R, Stanisz GJ. Chemical exchange saturation transfer for predicting response to stereotactic radiosurgery in human brain metastasis. Magn Reson Med. Epub 2016 Sept 30. doi: 10.1002/mrm.26470.
  11. Janik R, Thomason LAM, Stanisz AM, Forsythe P, Bienenstock J, Stanisz GJ. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals oral Lactobacillus promotion of increases in brain GABA, N-acetyl aspartate and glutamate. Neuroimage. 2016;125:988–995.

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