The MRS laboratory at the University of Washington Medical Center offers state-of-the-art magnetic resonance spectroscopic (MRS) methods for non-invasive measurements of metabolism and flow in human in vivo. The goal is to create in vivo diagnostic tools that open a window into human and animal cellular metabolism, while testing novel approaches that reverse mitochondrial, muscle and vascular dysfunction with age and disease.

Metabolic Spectroscopy is complementary to Molecular Imaging approaches by uniquely providing high-sensitivity detection and in vivo quantitative measurement of key metabolic fluxes relevant to diabetes and metabolic disorders, cancer, aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Our work is directed to three goals.

Discovery – Testing hypothesis of the mechanism underlying loss of tissues in skeletal muscle function made possible by in vivo analysis in metabolism.

Development – New methods for direct measurement of cell metabolism, oxygenation and blood flow in vivo are developed by a multidisciplinary team composed of physicists, physiologists and physician-scientists. We combine state-of-the-art non-invasive technology coupled with basic science studies of the physiology of disease to guide development of novel interventions.

Testing Interventions – Human subject research and clinical trials focused on testing mitochondrial targeted intervention to improve skeletal muscle function in the context of aging and chronic disease.