The Farrar group’s research program is focused on the development of novel Magnetic Resonance molecular imaging contrast agents and methods and on the development of innovative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) methods for characterizing vascular structure and function. The tools being developed in the lab are being applied to studies of a wide range of diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, fibrosis and stroke. The group’s recent molecular imaging efforts have been focused on the development of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI reporter genes for imaging oncolytic virotherapy, CEST magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) methods for rapid and quantitative CEST imaging, collagen-targeted MRI contrast agents for imaging liver fibrosis, and RNA aptamer probes for imaging amyloid-β plaques. Its vascular imaging efforts have focused on developing MRI methods for measuring average vessel caliber, vascular reactivity and transendothelial water exchange and their application to studies of novel brain tumor therapies and stroke.
Education
PhD in Chemistry, Harvard University
Select Publications
1. Cohen O, Huang S, McMahon MT, Rosen MS, Farrar CT. Rapid and quantitative chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging with magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF). Magn Reson Med. 2018;80(6):2449-63.
2. Farrar CT, Buhrman JS, Liu G, Kleijn A, Lamfers ML, McMahon MT, et al. Establishing the Lysine-rich Protein CEST Reporter Gene as a CEST MR Imaging Detector for Oncolytic Virotherapy. Radiology. 2015;275(3):746-54.
3. Farrar CT, DePeralta DK, Day H, Rietz TA, Wei L, Lauwers GY, et al. 3D molecular MR imaging of liver fibrosis and response to rapamycin therapy in a bile duct ligation rat model. J Hepatol. 2015;63(3):689-96.
Highlights
CEST MR fingerprinting work highlighted in January 2019 Magn Reson Med
CEST reporter gene work highlighted in Radiology