Magnus Dahlbom

AR-264 CHS

Research Description

I have spent my entire research career in the various aspects of radionuclide imaging and in in-vivo quantification methods using radioisotopes, both clinically and in research. I have worked on all aspects of PET imaging, ranging from developmental work on front-end detectors and electronics to the development of quantitative imaging techniques. I have primarily focused my research efforts on human radionuclide imaging and have developed imaging methods such as whole-body PET imaging, 3-D image reconstruction, correction methods to allow accurate quantification, including scatter and attenuation correction.

With the recent development of highly successful radionuclide therapies, I am spending most of my research efforts in the field of theranostics – the combination of targeted cancer radionuclide imaging and radionuclide therapy. My particular interest is to use functional imaging (PET and SPECT) in combination with anatomical imaging to accurately determine the radiation dose to tumors and normal organs following the administration of a radioactive therapeutic (or imaging) agent. Using serial imaging the uptake of and excretion of the radioactive agent can be determined, which in turn can be used to estimate the radiation dose to the individual patient. The aim is to be able to use the radiation dose estimates to determine the optimal injected dose that will deliver the highest possible tumor doses without damaging normal tissue and organs. This work involves development of image processing techniques as well as computational methods for radiation dose estimation.

Current Lab Members

• Zach Ells | Graduate Student | ZElls@mednet.ucla.edu