Research Themes:
Instrumentation, Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy

Education

PhD (Medical Biophysics and Computing), University of Utah, 1988

Research Interests

. Vulnerable plaque detection

• Identify the biologic and imaging characteristics of the high-risk, vulnerable plaque
• Identify individuals at increased risk for the development of high risk plaques who may benefit from early and more aggressive prevention and treatment

Pathophysiology of atherosclerosis progression and regression

• Understand the natural history of lesion progression and regression
• Assess the impact of pharmacological treatment
• Correlate biomarkers to the atherosclerotic process by providing state-of-the-art images and technology

Translational Research

• Bridging clinical and scientific areas of research to produce new imaging technology, such as multi-center clinical trial administration software

Contact Information

815 Mercer St.
Phone: 206-616-9346
E-mail

Research Description

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Over 70% of these deaths are related to atherosclerosis. Improved methods of diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular atherosclerotic disease would reduce stroke-related mortality, improve the quality of life of stroke survivors, and result in a reduction of stroke related health care costs. 
MRI is a promising tool for in vivo studies and diagnoses of human atherosclerosis. In vivo MRI studies can improve scientific understanding of cardiovascular disease mechanisms and its associated risk factors, improving identification of high-risk stroke and heart disease individuals. This also allows for more selective and accurate clinical intervention. 
Dr. Yuan’s expertise is in magnetic resonance imaging physics and software design, especially in the areas of cardiovascular imaging. He has been the co-director of the Vascular Imaging Laboratory at the University of Washington since 1997 and is also the director of the Bio-Molecular Imaging Center at the University of Washington. He has pioneered multiple high-resolution MRI techniques for imaging vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques and led numerous NIH and private industry sponsored studies examining carotid atherosclerosis with MRI. He has presented over 300 abstracts at various conferences, and has more than 170 publications in peer-reviewed journals.  He is a fellow of the ISMRM and the AHA.

Honors and Awards

• 2010, Fellow, AHA Council of CV Radiology & Intervention
• 2008, Fellow - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)
• 2004, Keynote Address -- XVI International Workshop on Magnetic Resonance Angiography
• 2004, Special Review Committee, NHLBI Programs of Excellence in Nanotechnology
• 2001,Best Presentation Award, North American Society of Cardiac Imaging, Annual Meeting

Selected Publications

• Hatsukami TS, Ross R, Yuan C.  Visualization of Fibrous Cap Thickness and Rupture in Human Atherosclerotic Carotid Plaque In-vivo with High Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging.  Circulation 2000; 102:959-964. PMID:10961958
• Yang C, Canton G, Yuan C, Ferguson M, Hatsukami TS, Tang D. Advanced human carotid plaque progression correlates positively with flow shear stress using follow-up scan data: An in vivo MRI multi-patient 3D FSI study. J Biomech. 2010 Jun 4. [Epub ahead of print]  PMC2937096
• Li F, McDermott MM, Li D, Carroll TJ, Hippe DS, Kramer CM, Fan Z, Zhao X, Hatsukami TS, Chu B, Wang J, Yuan C.  The association of lesion eccentricity with plaque morphology and components in the superficial femoral artery: a high-spatial-resolution, multi-contrast weighted CMR study.  J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2010 Jul 1;12:37. PMC2904754
• Wang J, Ferguson MS, Balu N, Yuan C, Hatsukami TS, Börnert P.  Improved carotid intraplaque hemorrhage imaging using a slab-selective phase-sensitive inversion-recovery (SPI) sequence.  Magn Reson Med. 2010 Jul 1. [Epub ahead of print] PMID 20597120
• Ota H, Reeves MJ, Zhu DC, Majid A, Collar A, Yuan C, Demarco JK.  Sex differences in patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerotic plaque: in vivo 3.0-T magnetic resonance study.  Stroke. 2010 Aug;41(8):1630-5. Epub 2010 Jul 8. PMID 20616325, Link: http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/41/8/1630.long
• Dong L, Wang J, Yarnykh VL, Underhill HR, Neradilek MB, Polissar NL, Hatsukami TS, Yuan C.  Efficient Flow Suppressed MRI Improves Reproducibility of Carotid Atherosclerosis Plaque Burden Measurements.  J Magn Reson Imaging. 2010 Aug;32(2):452-8. PMC2915455
• Chen H, Cai J, Zhao X, Underhill H, Ota H, Oikawa M, Dong L, Yuan C, Kerwin WS.  Localized measurement of atherosclerotic plaque inflammatory burden with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.  Magn Reson Med. 2010 Aug;64(2):567-73. PMID: 20665799
• Demarco JK, Ota H, Underhill HR, Zhu DC, Reeves MJ, Potchen MJ, Majid A, Collar A, Talsma JA, Potru S, Oikawa M, Dong L, Zhao X, Yarnykh VL, Yuan C.  MR carotid plaque imaging and contrast-enhanced MR angiography identifies lesions associated with recent ipsilateral thromboembolic symptoms: an in vivo study at 3T.  AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2010 Sep;31(8):1395-402. Epub 2010 Jul 22.PMID: 20651015
• Yang C, Canton G, Yuan C, Ferguson M, Hatsukami TS, Tang D.  Advanced human carotid plaque progression correlates positively with flow shear stress using follow-up scan data: an in vivo MRI multi-patient 3D FSI study.  J Biomech. 2010 Sep 17;43(13):2530-8. Epub 2010 Jun 8. PMC2937096
• Zhao X, Underhill HR, Zhao Q, Cai J, Li F, Oikawa M, Dong L, Ota H, Hatsukami TS, Chu B, Yuan C.  Discriminating Carotid Atherosclerotic Lesion Severity by Luminal Stenosis and Plaque Burden: A Comparison Utilizing High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 3.0 Tesla.  Stroke. 2011 Feb;42(2):347-53. Epub 2010 Dec 23. PMID: 21183749
• Huang X, Teng Z, Canton G., Ferguson M, Yuan C, Tang D.  Intraplaque hemorrhage is associated with higher structural stresses in human atherosclerotic plaques: an in vivo MRI-based 3d fluid-structure interaction study.  BioMedical Engineering Online 2010, 9:86 (31 December 2010) PMC3024221
• Underhill HR, Rostomily RC, Mikheev AM, Yuan C, Yarnykh VL.  Fast bound pool fraction imaging of the in vivo rat brain: Association with myelin content and validation in the C6 glioma model.  Neuroimage. 2011 Feb 1;54(3):2052-65. Epub 2010 Oct 26. PMC3008309
• Underhill HR, Hatsukami TS, Cai J, Yu W, Demarco JK, Polissar NL, Ota H, Zhao X, Dong L, Oikawa M, Yuan C. A Noninvasive Imaging Approach to Assess Plaque Severity: The Carotid Atherosclerosis Score. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2010. PMC2885536
• Dong L, Kerwin WS, Chen H, Chu B, Underhill HR, Neradilek MB, Hatsukami TS, Yuan C, Zhao XQ.  Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis: Effect of Intensive Lipid Therapy on the Vasa Vasorum--Evaluation by Using Dynamic Contrast-enhanced MR Imaging.  Radiology. 2011 Jul;260(1):224-31. Epub 2011 Apr 14.  PMC3121009
• Sun J, Underhill HR, Hippe DS, Xue Y, Yuan C, Hatsukami TS. Sustained acceleration in carotid atherosclerotic plaque progression with intraplaque hemorrhage: a long-term time course study. JACC CVI. 2012;5:798-804. PMC3422506