Dr. Zungho Wesley Zun develops non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods for translation to the clinic. In particular, his lab is investigating the neonatal and fetal brain and placenta to identify early and reliable biomarkers of impaired brain development, and placental dysfunction, using advanced MRI techniques like arterial spin labeling (ASL) and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). The lab has demonstrated the potential of these techniques in clinical patients, such as infants born preterm and fetuses complicated by congenital heart disease; women with high-risk pregnancies; coronary artery disease patients; and Moyamoya disease patients. By applying QSM to both newborns and pregnant women, Dr. Zun can assess neonatal brain development, and evaluate placental oxygenation.
Associated Lab Members
Dr. Zun is an assistant professor of electrical engineering in radiology. He received his B.S. from Korea University in 1998, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 2004 and 2010 respectively, all three degrees in electrical engineering. Dr. Zun’s research focuses on development of non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods that offer early and reliable biomarkers of impaired perfusion and oxygenation in the context of fetal and neonatal imaging. Ultimate goal: translating these methods to clinical practice.
MinJung Jang is a postdoctoral associate in radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea in 2021. Her research interests include development of rapid fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques using steady-state free precession, and perfusion imaging of the brain and placenta using arterial spin labeling (ASL) and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) techniques.
In the management and treatment of pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) and preeclampsia (PE) due to placental insufficiency, early and reliable detection is critical. For, once clinically evident, those pathological changes are irreversible. But there is no...
The early postnatal period is a highly important phase of rapid and dynamic brain development. The lab is investigating regional magnetic susceptibilities in the brains of infants in the first two months of life to relate these measures...
While the third trimester of gestation is a crucial phase of rapid brain development, little has been reported on the trajectories of pre-term infant cerebral blood flow (CBF) during this period. When arterial spin labeling (ASL)...
The placenta is a vital organ for transferring oxygen and nutrients from the mother to fetus during pregnancy. Early in pregnancy, the feeding arteries dilate five to 10 times to support rapid fetal growth and development. When this remodeling is incomplete or fails, blood...
