Integrated Biomedical Imaging Lab

The development of the novel electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) technique to noninvasively study cardiac arrhythmia has been the primary research goal during Yong Wang’s PhD study. Wang is now assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a faculty member in the Center for Reproductive Health Sciences.

Wang’s PhD research has encompassed sophisticated biomedical engineering, life science, human physiology, clinical research and patient studies. To further prepare for independent research in biomedical and life science, Dr. Wang devoted himself to the exciting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research with the aim to improve the poor specificity of MRI biomarkers of CNS injury.

Revolutionizing ECGI

Dr. Wang’s invention of meshless ECGI technique has eliminated conventional ECGI’s imaging artifacts and enhanced the imaging speed by a factor of 100, which greatly facilitated the successful application of ECGI system to study the basic mechanisms of cardiac disorders.

During his postdoc studies, he invented and validated diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI) to specifically quantify axon/myelin injury, distinguishing and quantifying co-existing inflammation and/or tissue loss in neurological disorders. Through developing and applying DBSI, he have not only gained valuable experience on studying the mechanism underlying various neurodegeneration diseases, but also led and engaged in multiple successful NIH and national multiple sclerosis society grant applications as PI or co-Investigator.

Wang’s current research of developing a novel hybrid noninvasive imaging system for the study of electrical maturation and microstructural changes of pregnant uterus builds logically on his prior PhD and postdoc training. He will adapt and combine his expertise in ECGI and MRI/DBSI to creatively develop and validate the novel hybrid imaging system and use it to study the mechanism underlying preterm and normal term labor.