Christoph Juchem has been appointed Professor of Magnetic Resonance Physics (§98) at MedUni Vienna and Co-Head of the High Field MR Center of Excellence at MedUni Vienna’s Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy with effect from 1 October 2024.
Christoph Juchem’s research focuses on developing new magnetic resonance (MR) technology and methods for clinical and neuroscientific applications. His long-term goal as a physicist is to realize and expand the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS). The clinical aim of his research to date has been primarily to improve our understanding of the role of neurochemistry in the protection of the central nervous system (CNS) or, conversely, the way in which metabolic disturbances favor neurodegenerative, -psychiatric, and -immunological processes.
Innovative technologies to overcome long-standing limitations
The field of magnetic resonance research is extremely dynamic, with many new innovations every year. This enables unimagined diagnostic methods and insights into the mechanisms of diseases that seemed unattainable just a few years ago. Christoph Juchem is an important part of this development. Together with colleagues, he has developed an innovative method for the highly flexible generation of magnetic fields based on the interaction of non-orthogonal base fields. This multi-coil approach allows improved magnetic field homogeneity (so-called "B0 shimming") and concrete improvements in image quality. Furthermore, the method can be used for spatial coding and, thus, for imaging. Christoph Juchem and colleagues from around the world recently developed a completely new design of MR head scanner for neuroscience applications as part of a collaborative project led by the University of Minnesota, in which the novel multi-coil technology replaced conventional gradient coils. "I see a lot of potential synergies from this and similar technologies from my lab with researchers at MedUni Vienna, and I look forward to relevant and exciting projects."
State-of-the-art MR spectroscopy methods for innovative clinical research
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy allows the unique non-invasive observation of biochemical processes in the human body and, thus, also a live insight into pathological processes directly in the patient. However, the demands on the spectral quality of the data and the methods of data analysis are very high. Any limitation of the data quality reduces the significance of the clinical-metabolic information obtained. "In my research, I have therefore explicitly optimized all relevant aspects from the experimental conditions (e.g., "B0 shimming") to the measurement sequence used (e.g., avoidance of "ghost" artifacts) and data quantification (e.g., simulation of realistic spectra for modeling). Furthermore, I have developed an MRS software, "INSPECTOR," which combines processing, quantification, and quality control in a single program." This scientific framework allowed Juchem’s lab, in collaboration with clinical partners, to explore the role of excitotoxicity and oxidative stress as well as the effects of drug treatment in more than 100 patients with multiple sclerosis at 7 Tesla. "I see a number of methodological synergies with research-strong colleagues from my Department of Magnetic Resonance Physics and the Department of Radiology in the field of MRS methodology. I am particularly looking forward to working with partners from clinical departments to answer relevant patient care questions.
Successful clinical research requires honest interest and mutual respect
New MR technologies and methods are developed almost exclusively by researchers at academic institutions. Even when relevant innovations are adopted in commercial MR systems, it often takes years or decades. According to Juchem, academic research, therefore, has a threefold key role to play: 1) The development of innovative patient-oriented methods, as well as 2) initial clinical research applications and the demonstration of added value for patients. 3) In addition, it is up to the researchers, if possible, to establish innovations in commercial MR systems at the end of the day in cooperation with industry partners and, thus, make them available to other patients.
The Department of Magnetic Resonance Physics, which Christoph Juchem will head, is ideally positioned as part of MedUni Vienna’s Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering for the development of innovative methodology, clinical research, and true translation into diagnostic routine. The existing research focuses already cover a wide range of aspects, from technology to software programs and from basic physics to clinical research. "In addition to my own research, I therefore see my role primarily as a moderator and facilitator of new research areas and focal points. I will actively approach colleagues at MedUni Vienna and seek contact. Conversely, I invite colleagues from the clinic to contact me directly with project ideas or questions or simply drop by for a coffee."
Christoph Juchem has worked for more than 20 years in neuroscience, radiology, and neurology and has first-hand experience of long-term research collaborations with colleagues in psychiatry, oncology, and endocrinology. He is convinced that "biomedical research, which seeks to answer relevant clinical questions with the latest methodological achievements, is most successful when methodologists and clinicians have both a genuine interest in the clinical question and mutual recognition for each other’s scientific contributions." He, therefore, sees his main task at MedUni Vienna as supporting established collaborations of this kind and cultivating new ones. "Our department already has a high-caliber portfolio of MR expertise, methods, and research focuses. I am looking to support and expand existing clinical collaborations and establish new ones with MedUni Vienna’s clinical partners. In addition, I plan to further connect and integrate our work with that from UHMRC colleagues from MedUni Vienna’s Department of Radiology with other national and international research institutions and partners from the equipment and pharmaceutical industries.
In addition to teaching, I look forward to placing a focus on supporting talent at all career levels. "I have had the luxury of working with, learning from, and being mentored by some of the best scientists of our time in my career. I see this as both a privilege and a responsibility. Mentoring has always been important to me, and I look forward to continuing to make this a focus of my work at MedUni Vienna."
About the person
Christoph Juchem studied physics at the Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University in Bonn, Germany, and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. Following his diploma in physics, he completed his doctoral studies in physics and neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and the University Hospital of the University of Tübingen, Germany. Postdoctoral and Associate Research Scientist positions at the MR Research Center at Yale University were followed by the first tenure track position as Assistant Professor in the Departments of Radiology and Neurology at Yale University. Since 2016, he has been researching and teaching as Associate Professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at Columbia University in New York, USA, with tenure since 2023. Christoph Juchem has 20+ years of experience in designing and performing in vivo MR experiments at 3.0-11.7 Tesla in humans and animal models. He has published 70+ scientific papers, book chapters and patents and has served as a reviewer for 25 scientific journals and 10+ international research societies. He was elected Chair of both the MR Spectroscopy Study Group and the MR Engineering Study Group of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM).
