Peter C. Van Zijl, PhD
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty
Languages
- English
Gender
MaleAbout Peter C. Van Zijl
Professional Titles
- Chief, Neuroscience, Division of MR Research, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science
Primary Academic Title
Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science
Background
Peter C.M. van Zijl, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Division of MR Research within the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Radiology and Radiological Science. He serves as Chief of the division’s Neuroscience section.
A researcher who specializes in brain imaging, Dr. van Zijl has spent his career developing novel magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and nuclear MR technologies and applying them to basic-science problems and clinical disease.
He is the Founding Director of the Johns Hopkins-affiliated F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. He joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1992.
Dr. van Zijl earned a Ph.D. in mathematics and physics from The Netherlands’ Free University in Amsterdam, from which he also holds an M.S. in inorganic chemistry and a B.S. in chemistry.
He completed his post-doctoral work in chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University and in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) at the NIH National Cancer Institute.
Dr. van Zijl has published more than 230 reviewed articles and serves as the principal investigator for a number of ongoing National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded studies.
A Fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Dr. van Zijl is a member of many scientific advisory boards, NIH review panels and editorial boards. He also serves as the associate editor of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Centers and Institutes
Additional Academic Titles
Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Oncology
Research Interests
Application of MRI to brain development, Cancer, Development of bioorganic biodegradable MRI contrast agents, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology development, neurodegeneration, Noninvasive imaging of metabolism, physiology and function, stroke
Lab Website
Peter van Zijl Laboratory - Lab Website
- The Peter van Zijl Laboratory focuses on developing new methodologies for using MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to study brain function and physiology. In addition, we are working to understand the basic mechanisms of the MRI signal changes measured during functional MRI (fMRI) tests of the brain. We are also mapping the wiring of the brain (axonal connections between the brains functional regions) and designing new technologies for MRI to follow where cells are migrating and when genes are expressed. A more recent interest is the development of bioorganic biodegradable MRI contrast agents. Our ultimate goal is to transform these technologies into fast methods that are compatible with the time available for multi-modal clinical diagnosis using MRI.
Research Summary
Dr. van Zijl has devoted his career to developing novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear MR technologies and applying them to basic-science problems and clinical disease.
He has developed methods for MR spectroscopy (MRS) and MRS imaging; diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and axonal mapping; physiological imaging (blood flow, blood volume and blood oxygenation); glucose metabolism measurement; and the study of magnetization-transfer processes.
Dr. van Zijl has contributed to the understanding of the blood-oxygen-level- dependent (BOLD) mechanism underlying functional MR imaging—and helped develop the capability to image endogenous signals of cellular proteins and peptides.
He is currently working to develop novel technologies for high-field MRI in humans and animals, which includes developing new biodegradable contrast agents and molecular image markers. He is also the principal investigator of a National Research Resource Center that develops MR and MRS technologies and makes them available to interested centers, scientists and clinicians.
Selected Publications
Chen L, Schär M, Chan KWY, Huang J, Wei Z, Lu H, Qin Q, Weiss RG, van Zijl PCM, Xu J. In vivo imaging of phosphocreatine with artificial neural networks. Nat Commun. 2020 Feb 26;11(1):1072. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14874-0.
Leigh R, Knutsson L, Zhou J, van Zijl PC. Imaging the physiological evolution of the ischemic penumbra in acute ischemic stroke. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2018 Sep;38(9):1500-1516. doi: 10.1177/0271678X17700913. Epub 2017 Mar 27
Li W, van Zijl PCM. Quantitative theory for the transverse relaxation time of blood water. NMR Biomed. 2020 May;33(5):e4207. doi: 10.1002/nbm.4207. Epub 2020 Feb 5.
Zhou Y, van Zijl PCM, Xu X, Xu J, Li Y, Chen L, Yadav NN. Magnetic resonance imaging of glycogen using its magnetic coupling with water. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Feb 11;117(6):3144-3149. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1909921117. Epub 2020 Jan 30.
Honors
- Laukien Award, Experimental NMR Conference, 1/1/16
- Fellow, International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR), 1/1/12
- Distinguished Investigator, Academy of Radiology Research, 1/1/12
- Gold Medal, 1/1/07
- Gold Medal, International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), 1/1/07
- Fellow, International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), 1/1/04
- Established Investigator Award, 1/1/95
Memberships
- International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
- International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
Professional Activities
- BME Frontiers, Deputy Editor
- Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Conference, Chair, 1/1/03
- Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference, Executive Committee, 1/1/97 - 1/1/04
- International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Board of Trustees, 1/1/00 - 1/1/04
- International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality, Council
- Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, Editorial Board
- Journal of Magnetic Resonance, Editorial Board
- Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Associate Editor
- Magnetic Resonance Open, Executive Editor
- NMR in Biomedicine, Editorial Board
Additional Training
MRI and MRS, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 1990; Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 1987, Chemistry