Pulmonary Functional Imaging

Summary Science Features

The Pulmonary Functional Imaging Research Laboratory helps to advance understanding of pulmonary pathophysiology through the use of state-of-the-art imaging and computational modeling. Led by José Venegas, PhD, the lab is located in the Clinics Building on the Mass General main campus, adjacent to the Department of Biomedical Engineering.  It is relocating to the Thier Research Building.

The primary focus of the research is in developing quantitative assays of regional lung function and combining these methods with sophisticated computational modeling to deep understanding of lung function in health and disease.

The research team includes Drs. Vidal-Melo, Musch, Winkler, and R. Scott Harris, together with graduate students from MIT, Boston University, and the University of Dresden, Germany. Collaborations include the Departments of Radiology (Nuclear Medicine) and Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit). Pulmonary imaging techniques demonstrate that the heterogeneity of ventilation in broncho-constricted asthmatics is prominent at large length scales corresponding to lobar and sub-lobar structures.