Author Archives: Cristian Badea

Olfactory-Guided Behavior Uncovers Signatures of AD risk

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Cristian Badea

Could your sense of smell reveal Alzheimer’s risk years before memory loss? Our new study connects olfactory behavior, brain networks, & blood gene signatures to early AD vulnerability. Moon, H.S.; Han, Z.Y.; Anderson, R.J.; Mahzarnia, A.; Stout, J.A.; Niculescu, A.R.; Tremblay, J.T.; … Continue reading →

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Adaptive AI Denoising for Pediatric Cardiac PCCT

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Cristian Badea

We developed a data-adaptive, self-supervised deep learning method combining sparse coding (SC) +  visual transformer (ViT) for denoising pediatric cardiac photon-counting CT. Preserves anatomy, adapts to noise, generalizes well—even to preclinical data. Clark, D. P., Cao, J. Y., & Badea, … Continue reading →

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PCCT-Visible Bioprinted Patch

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Cristian Badea

Our team developed a CT-visible bioprinted vascular patch using dual-contrast bioinks. Photon-counting CT enabled precise tracking of structure and perfusion, highlighting the role of imaging in cardiac repair. Gil, C. J., Allphin, A. J., Jin, L., Salar Amoli, M., Rezapourdamanab, … Continue reading →

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Rapping Research

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Cristian Badea

Our QIAL lab member Rohan Nadkarni brought the heat at the BME retreat—taking 2nd place in the rapid-fire challenge with original rap lyrics

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Photon-Counting Micro-CT for Perfusion Imaging

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Cristian Badea

This study introduces a benchtop photon-counting micro-CT system for dynamic small animal perfusion imaging. Deep learning methods enable rapid 5D  (3D + Time + Energy) imaging and quantitative blood flow analysis, supporting high-throughput preclinical vascular research. Allphin AJ, Nadkarni R, … Continue reading →

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Hae Sol Moon Defends PhD on Alzheimer’s Modeling

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Cristian Badea

Congratulations! Dr. Hae Sol Moon has successfully defended his PhD on “Integrative Modeling of Alzheimer’s Disease Risk”.

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Celebrating Dr. Alex Allphin’s PhD Defense!

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Cristian Badea

Huge congratulations to Dr. Alex Allphin on a successful PhD defense! A key member of our QIAL lab, Alex’s work has pushed the boundaries of imaging science.

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Mapping Exercise-Induced Brain Changes in Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Cristian Badea

Voluntary & enforced exercise drive distinct brain changes in Alzheimer’s models.MRI reveals how emotion, memory, & motor circuits adapt—showing exercise’s neuroprotective power. Badea A, Mahzarnia A, Reddy D, et al. Neuroimaging biomarkers of neuroprotection: Impact of voluntary vs. enforced exercise … Continue reading →

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APOE-Dependent Cardiac Response to Exercise in Mice via PCCT

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Cristian Badea

This study investigates the impact of exercise on cardiac function across different APOE genotypes in mice using low-dose cardiac photon-counting micro-CT and deep learning-based segmentation. Results show significant, genotype-dependent improvements in cardiac performance, with the largest effects observed in APOE3 … Continue reading →

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QIAL Contributions to SPIE Medical Imaging 2025

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Cristian Badea

Advancing Preclinical and AI-Driven Imaging  with our Work presented at SPIE Medical Imaging 2025: Deve​lopment of a virtual photon-counting micro-CT imaging platform for preclinical cancer studiesNadkarni R, Clark D, Allphin A, Qi Y, Mowery Y, Segars W, Badea CT.Presented on … Continue reading →

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