Panayotis (Peter) K. Thanos
Assistant Professor

Techniques Used:
• Immunohistochemistry
• Autoradiography
• microPET
• microMRI
• Microsurgery
• Behavioral Sciences - Operant Conditioning (self-administration studies)

Phone: (631) 344-7364
Email: thanos@bnl.gov
URL: http://www.bnl.gov/thanoslab
 

Kevin Tracey
Director, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Systemic inflammation is an important process in the development of shock, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, stroke, and other diseases. Our research focuses on the roles of individual mediators of systemic inflammation, and their regulation by interactions between the brain and the innate immune system.

Our discovery of the inflammatory action of TNF in non-malignant disease led directly to clinically approved treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. To discover new mediators of systemic inflammation, we screened products of endotoxin-stimulated macrophage cultures. This resulted in the discovery that HMG-1, a DNA binding protein that was widely studied for its intracellular roles, is a mediator of endotoxin lethality. In contrast to TNF and IL-1, which are released early after endotoxin exposure, HMG-1 is released late after exposure to endotoxin. Antibodies to HMG-1 completely protect mice from endotoxin lethality, even when treatment is delayed several hours. In critically ill patients, the highest serum HMG-1 levels exist in lethal cases, indicating that HMG-1 may be a therapeutic agent. Ongoing research addresses the mechanisms of HMG-1 toxicity and action, as well as the identification of signal transduction pathways.

A recent advance in the field of neuroimmunomodulation was our identification of the “cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway,” a neural-immune connection through which the central nervous system inhibits systemic inflammation. It had been widely known that TNF, IL-1 and other mediators interact with the vagus nerve in the periphery, and induce afferent signals to the brain; the brain, in turn, responds with anti-inflammatory signals mediated by steroids such as ACTH and MSH. We discovered that the brain also utilizes conventional neurotransmitters that are released from the vagus nerve to generate a response in peripheral organs. In vivo, surgical vagotomy prevents this communication; animals exposed to endotoxin succumb to endotoxic shock more rapidly than animals with an intact vagus. We also found that macrophages express acetylcholine receptor activity, and that acetylcholine can block the activation of macrophages in response to endotoxin. Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve inhibits systemic inflammation, inhibits the release of TNF, HMG-1, and other mediators, and prevents death due to endotoxic shock. Ongoing studies are focused on identifying the neural substrate of this system, developing optimal stimulation parameters, and determining the molecular basis of cholinergic signal transduction in macrophages.

M.D., Boston University School of Medicine, 1983

Paul Vaska
Associate Scientist

The research interests of Dr. Vaska comprise all aspects of the physics of positron emission tomography (PET). This ranges from the development of unique detector technologies which extend the limits of spatial resolution and sensitivity, through improved corrections for physical
effects, image reconstruction methods, and post-processing techniques to improve image quantitation. He has worked extensively with both human and small-animal PET systems and oversees the physics aspects of the clinical PET research carried out at the BNL PET facility. His
previous research as a physicist for a major PET firm included development of a dedicated brain scanner in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, and novel calibration and data acquisition methods.

Ph.D. - State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1997

Phone: (631) 344-6228
Email: vaska@bnl.gov
URL: http://www.bnl.gov/medical/Personnel/Vaska/default.htm
 

Marcelo Vazquez
Scientist

Because successful operations in space depend on the performance capabilities of astronauts, radiation-induced neurological damage could jeopardize the successful completion of mission requirements, as well as have long-term consequences on the health of astronauts. Thus, it is necessary to understand the nature of this risk in order to assess its seriousness and to develop countermeasures. Dr. Vazquez's has focus his research primarily in the study of the mechanisms of central nervous system (CNS) damage induced by space radiation using in vitro (neural stem cells and neurons) and in vivo models (mice). His research interest is the identification of the molecular, cellular and system responses as well as behavioral alterations induced by heavy ion exposures. His long-term research goals are the development and testing of radioprotectant compounds to be utilized humans exposed to ionizing radiation (astronauts, radiation workers, radiation therapy patients, etc.). In addition, Dr. Vazquez is interested in the short and long-term effects of space radiation on bone and the cardiovascular system using state-of-the-art imaging techniques as well as molecular and cellular methods. His work is supported by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA). He is also the Associate director of the NASA Space Radiation Summer School and the NASA/NSBRI Space Radiation Liaison Scientist.

M.D. - National University of La Plata, Argentina, 1988
Ph.D. - National University of La Plata, Argentina, 1990

Phone: (631) 344-3443
Email: vazquez@bnl.gov
URL: http://www.bnl.gov/medical/Personnel/Vazquez/default.htm
 

Mark Wagshul
Assistant Professor

Mark Wagshul is interested in utilizing MRI techniques for better understanding, diagnosing and treating disease. His primary research involves the development and validation of a new model of intracranial dynamics which is being used in the diagnosis and treatment of hydrocephalus and related neurological diseases. Ongoing projects in this area are in collaboration with researchers in the Departments of Neurosurgery and Mechanical Engineering. The research involves patient as well as animal-based studies. He also has research efforts in pulse sequence development for new MRI procedures, developing new techniques for more effective detection of breast cancer using MRI, in the use of MRI coupled with high-intensity focused ultrasound for non-invasive surgical procedures and in MRI hardware and systems development.

Ph.D. - Harvard University, 1992

Phone: (631) 444-9563
Email: wagshul@clio.rad.sunysb.edu
 

Yi Wang, Sc.D.
MR Physicist

The Cardiac MRI research lab in St. Francis Hospital focuses on noninvasive in vivo cardiovascular imaging for the heart functional and morphological assessment using magnetic resonance imaging and image processing techniques. My current major research interests are:

Address:
Research and Education Foundation
St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center
100 Port Washington Blvd.
Roslyn, NY 11576

Sc.D. - Washington University in Saint Louis, 1999

Phone: (516) 622-4541
Email: Yi.Wang@chsli.org
 

Keith T Welsh
Medical Physicist

Primary focuses are the duties associated with clinical medical physics.  Activities include assisting in the commissioning of a new Varian 6Ex LINAC with a BrainLAB M3 miniature multileaf collimator, primary clinical Stereotactic Radiosurgery physicist responsible for up to 5 SRS procedures a month, update and correct both professional and technical components of billing via CPT, APC and HPCPS codes for Radiation Oncology services, oversee all Medical Physicist’s responsibilities of a single LINAC satellite facility.  Clinical duties include monthly and annual QA of multimodality LINAC and simulator, external beam and Brachytherapy patient chart checking, IMRT QA, HDR treatment planning, tandem and ovoid treatment planning, and others.  Teaching experience consists of electron dosimetry and treatment planning, HDR, and neutron physics in radiation oncology.  Teaching duties also include supervising projects for MS and Ph.D. student in Biomedical engineering.

Ph.D.

Medical Physicist
Department of Radiation Oncology
Stony Brook University

Phone: (631) 444-3921
Email: Keith.Welsh@stonybrook.edu

 

Michael Q. Zhang
Associate Professor

The long-term goal of research in our lab is to use mathematical and statistical methods to identify functional elements in eucaryotic genomes, especially the genes and their control and regulatory elements. A genome is the program book of a life, genome research will lead to eventual decoding of the entire genetic language of life and its grammar. Driven by the Human Genome Projetc, our current interest is on two related problems: gene-finding and gene expression analysis. Since most of eukaryotic genes are split by intervening sequences (called introns), after transcription of a gene into a precursor mRNA, the introns have to be spliced out and the remaining fragments (called exons) have to be joined together as a mature mRNA before it can be translated into protein. Therefore, the key of gene-finding is to identify these exons. Constitutive coding exons are relatively easy to identify, the greatest challenge lies in the identification of end exons and alternatively spliced exons. Since this requires the study of many important control and regulatory elements for gene expression. This link between gene structure and function at the genomic level requires high-throughput functional studies. Detecting cis regulatory elements and modeling gene expression networks are becoming new challenges in the functional genomics era. Working closely with bench-scientists, our investigation will undoubtedly contribute to the understanding of genome organization as well as their control and regulation mechanisms, which will in turn have a profound impact on biology and medicine.

Ph.D. - Rutgers University, 1987

Phone: (516) 367-8393
Email: mzhang@cshl.org
URL: http://www.cshl.org/gradschool/zhang-g.html
 

Wei Zhao
Assistant Professor

Wei Zhao's main research interest is in the development of novel detector concept and new clinical applications for early detection of cancer. Her current research projects include (1) the characterization and optimization of a high-resolution flat-panel detector for digital mammography (imaging of the breast) through prototype development, image analysis, and computer modeling; (2) the development of detector technology and imaging system for three-dimensional imaging of the breast, which is aimed at achieving better detection of abnormality than existing two dimensional projection images; and (3) feasibility investigation of a large area flat-panel detector with amplification at each pixel for very low dose x-ray imaging applications.

Ph.D., - University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, 1997

Phone: (631) 444-7639
Fax: (631) 444-7538
Email: wzhao@radiol.som.sunysb.edu
URL: http://ms.cc.sunysb.edu/~weizhao/index.htm
 

Zhong Zhong
Assistant Professor

My research interests are medical imaging and diagnosis using monochromatic x-rays, x-ray phase contrast, and x-ray optics. My past work include contrast agent imaging applied to angiography using K-edge subtraction and monochromatic x-rays, development of bent-crystal monochromator for conventional x-ray source. As a scientist at the National Synchrotron Light Source and co-inventor of the Diffraction Enhanced Imaging (DEI) method, my recent research efforts have been on investigation of DEI on mammography and cartilage imaging. Unlike conventional x-ray imaging methods, DEI is sensitive to phase contrast and is thus more suitable for soft-tissue imaging. I am also developing crystal optics for focusing high-energy x-rays produced by synchrotron radiation source.

Ph.D. - State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1996

Phone: (631) 344-2117
Fax: (631) 344-3238
Email: zhong@bnl.gov
 

Wei Zhu
Professor

Wei Zhu is a biostatistician. Her major research areas are brain image analysis, design and analysis of clinical trials and other biomedical studies, and genetics modeling. In the brain image analysis area, she is collaborating with medical researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to identify and quantify changes in brain functional relationships under drug influence. She is among the pioneers in applying the concept of multiple-objective optimal design to clinical trials and quantal dose-response experiments. In genetics, she is working on the analysis of gene microarray expression data to ascribe genes to various functional groups and to ascertain genes that are linked to certain diseases. She has experience with the analysis of large data sets on the scale of terabytes and is an affiliate of the BNL Center for Data Intensive Computing. In addition to her close collaboration with BNL, Wei Zhu has also worked with researchers at USB, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Merck Research Laboratories, and Veeco UPA in the past three years.

Ph.D. - University of California, Los Angeles, 1996

Phone: (631) 632-8374
Email: Zhu@ams.sunysb.edu
URL: http://www.ams.sunysb.edu/~zhu