Professor Jim Wild, PhD

Professor of Magnetic Resonance Physics

Address:
Academic Unit of Radiology
University of Sheffield
C Floor
Royal Hallamshire Hospital
Sheffield
S10 2JF
UK

Telephone: +44 (0) 114 226 5389
Fax: +44 (0) 114 271 1714
Email: j.m.wild@sheffield.ac.uk

Biography:

I joined the University of Sheffield in 2000 to set up the technology for Hyperpolarised gas lung Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Prior to that I spent two years postdoctoral research at the NMR group of Peter Allen at the University of Alberta (1998-2000) working on high field strength imaging and spectroscopy methods. My PhD was in 1H MR spectroscopy at the University of Edinburgh (1995-1998) with Ian Marshall. I have an MSc in Medical Physics from the University of Sheffield (1994), an undergraduate Masters degree in Physics and Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge (1989-1992). Former pupil of Abbeydale Grange Comprehensive School, Sheffield.

Research Interests:

My research focus is the physics and engineering and clinical applications of MR imaging of hyperpolarised gases (³He and ¹²⁹Xe) and protons in the lungs and pulmonary vasculature.

Physics and engineering projects include:

• rapid acquisition methods for imaging of inhaled hyperpolarised gases using compressed sensing, steady state free precession and parallel imaging.
• Techniques for simultaneous imaging of ¹H, ³He and ¹²⁹Xe in the lungs.
• RF coil hardware engineering for ³He and ¹²⁹Xe lung MRI.
• ³He and ¹²⁹Xe MRI at different magnetic field strengths.
• Spin exchange optical pumping physics for polarisation of ³He and ¹²⁹Xe.
• Measuring and modelling gas flow and diffusion in the lungs; physiological models of alveolar geometry and gas exchange.

These technical developments have made a clinical impact, we have performed the first clinical studies in the UK with hyperpolarised ³He and ¹²⁹Xe gas MRI.  Our research has demonstrated the role of these pulmonary MRI methods in Asthma, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Interstitial Lung Disease, Lung cancer and Pulmonary Hypertension.  Using hyperpolarised gas and proton lung MRI as markers we are evaluating novel pulmonary therapies in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies.  Our lung imaging methods and models are the basis of patient specific models of lung disease and exacerbation within the EU Virtual Physiological Human Project - Airprom.  Our pulmonary methods have made a clinical impact on NHS radiological practice in the diagnosis and management of patients from the Sheffield Pulmonary Vascular Disease Unit.  We are now a national and international referral centre for Clinical Pulmonary Imaging.

Current Research Projects and Grants:

• EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship.
• EU Pulmonary imaging network - PINET.
• Airprom - FP7 VPH Imaging as the basis of computational models of lung physiology and disease.
• Eurohyperpol EU COST network on hyperpolarisation and imaging physics.
• Sheffield CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Programme developing xenon imaging as a marker of tumour circulation.

Teaching Interests:

I am heavily involved in postgraduate and undergraduate research training and teaching, I currently supervise a group of 10 PhD students, MD students and BMedSci students.  I am an undergraduate personal tutor for 10 students.  I am involved in international teaching in MR physics and pulmonary imaging:

• ISMRM Physics for Physicists
• ESMRMB School of Chest MRI
• ESMRMB School of Hyperpolarised MRI Methods

Professional Activiites:

• EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow 2006-2011.
• EPSRC peer review college member.
• Medical Futures Award for Translational Respiratory Innovation 2011.
• Chairman (2008-2011) and Secretary (2005-2008) of the BRSG the Magnetic Resonance Group of the Institute of Physics.
• 2008-2009 Chairman ISMRM study group of hyperpolarised MRI.
• 2011-2014 Chair of the European Society of Thoracic Imaging Research Committee.
• Member of European Respiratory Society Imaging workgroup.
• MHRA QP licence holder for manufacture of hyperpolarised contrast agents (³He and ¹²⁹Xe).
• Honorary Chair in MR Physics at the University of Oxford.

Key Recent Publications:

1. Norquay G, Parnell SR, Xu X, Parra-Robles J, Wild JM. Optimized production of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe at 2 bars for in vivo lung magnetic resonance imaging. J Appl Phys, 113. Published online January 2013. doi: 10.1063/1.4776763


2. Rajaram S, Swift AJ, Telfer A, Hurdman J, Marshall H, Lorenz E, Capener D, Davies C, Hill C, Elliot C, Condliffe R, Wild JM, Kiely DG. 3D contrast-enhanced lung perfusion MRI is an effective screening tool for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: results from the ASPIRE Registry. Thorax 2013 Jan 24. [Epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-203020.


3. Wild JM, Marshall H, Xu X, Norquay G, Parnell SR, Clemence M, Griffiths PD, Parra-Robles J. Simultaneous Imaging of Lung Structure and Function with Triple-Nuclear Hybrid MR Imaging. Radiology, 2012 Dec 21. [Epub ahead of print].


4. Parra-Robles J, Wild JM. The influence of lung airways branching structure and diffusion time on measurements and models of short-range 3He gas MR diffusion. J Magn Reson, 2012 Dec;225:102-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jmr.2012.10.008. Epub 2012 Oct 26.


5. Swift AJ, Rajaram S, Condliffe R, Capener D, Hurdman J, Elliot C, Kiely DG, Wild JM. Pulmonary Artery Relative Area Change Detects Mild Elevations in Pulmonary Vascular Resistance and Predicts Adverse Outcome in Pulmonary Hypertension. Invest Radiol, 2012 Aug 21. [Epub ahead of print]


6. Rajaram S, Swift AJ, Capener D, Telfer A, Davies C, Hill C, . . . Wild JM.  Lung morphology assessment with balanced steady-state free precession MR imaging compared with CT.. Radiology, 2012 May;263(2), 569-577. doi: 10.1148/radiol.12110990


7. Marshall H, Deppe MH, Parra-Robles J, Hillis S, Billings CG, Rajaram S, . . . Wild JM.  Direct visualisation of collateral ventilation in COPD with hyperpolarised gas MRI. Thorax, 2012 Jan. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2011-200864


8. Xu X, Norquay G, Parnell SR, Deppe MH, Ajraoui S, Hashoian R, . . . Wild JM.  Hyperpolarized (129) Xe gas lung MRI-SNR and T(2) (*) comparisons at 1.5 T and 3 T. Magn Reson Med, 2012 Jan. doi: 10.1002/mrm.24190


9. Ajraoui S, Parra-Robles J, Wild JM.  Incorporation of prior knowledge in compressed sensing for faster acquisition of hyperpolarized gas images. Magn Reson Med, 2012 April. doi: 10.1002/mrm.24252


10. Deppe MH, Wild JM. Variable flip angle schedules in bSSFP imaging of hyperpolarized noble gases. Magn Reson Med, 2012 June 67(6), 1656-1664. doi: 10.1002/mrm.23155


11. Deppe MH, Parra-Robles J, Marshall H, Lanz T, Wild JM.  A flexible 32-channel receive array combined with a homogeneous transmit coil for human lung imaging with hyperpolarized 3He at 1.5 T. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2011; 66: 1788-1797.


12. Wild JM, Ajraoui S, Deppe MH, Parnell SR, Marshall H, Parra-Robles J, Ireland RH.  Synchronous acquisition of hyperpolarised 3He and 1H MR images of the lungs - maximising mutual anatomical and functional information. NMR in Biomedicine, 2011, 24: 130-134.


13. Parnell SR, Deppe MH, Parra-Robles J, Wild JM.  Enhancement of 129Xe polarization by off-resonant spin exchange optical pumping. Journal of Applied Physics 2010, 108(6). doi: 10.1063/1.3478707

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