ISMRM Workshop on

40 Years of Diffusion:

Past, Present & Future Perspectives

calendar_month

16-20 February 2025

location_on

Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine
Kyoto, Japan

Organizers

Co-Chairs:
Susie Huang, M.D., Ph.D.
Mami Iima, M.D., Ph.D.

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Early Registration Deadline:

Declarations & Supporters

Faculty declarations will be available approximately two weeks before the workshop begins.

Registration & Travel

Registration Information

Early Registration & Cancellation Deadline:
16 January 2025 at 23:59 UTC

Travel & Housing Information

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Please download and complete this self-fillable PDF letter.

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Guidelines for Presenters & Posters

Attendee Code of Conduct

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Overview & Program

Workshop Overview

The field of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has come a long way in the past 40 years, and this workshop celebrates the progress that has been made. From the early days of basic diffusion measurement techniques to the current state-of-the-art microstructure imaging and tractography methods, diffusion MRI has become an indispensable tool for both preclinical and clinical research.

The workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of the history of diffusion MRI, including the development of new pulse sequences, modeling, advancements in data analysis and image processing including AI, and applications in various areas of biomedical research: from neurology to psychiatry to oncology.

The workshop will bring together pioneers and experts in the field to discuss the history and the latest advances in diffusion MRI, both in terms of methodological developments and applications. Through keynote lectures, panel discussions, and poster sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to get an overall picture on the current state of the art in diffusion MRI and to learn about what is cooking for the future through the latest research and cutting-edge technologies in the field.

The workshop aims to bridge the gap between methodological development and clinical practice and provide a path for its integration in the near future.

Whether you are a seasoned researcher or a newcomer to the field, this workshop is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the past 40 years in diffusion MRI and to look forward to the exciting developments yet to come.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for researchers (including Ph.D. candidates, postdocs, and professors); clinicians (e.g. radiologists, oncologists, neurologists, surgeons); neuroscientists, psychiatrists, psychologists, computer scientists, MR physicists, and engineers; MR technologists; machine learning engineers and government regulatory experts; and other nonprofits and members of the ISMRM Diffusion, ISMRM Cancer, and ISMRM Quantitative MR Study Groups.

Preliminary Program

Day 1 - Sunday, 16 February 2025 - Optional Educational Boot Camp
Intended Audience: Trainees and those new to the field *

08:30

Registration & Speaker Upload Available

09:15

Introduction

Parallel Boot Camp Sessions 1: Foundations I

Moderators: T.B.A.

09:30

Diffusion Fundamentals

Nathan Hu Williamson, Ph.D.
Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
Bethesda, MD, USA

Moderators: T.B.A.

09:30

Diffusion MRI Acquisitions

Jennifer Campbell, Ph.D.
McGill University
Montreal, QC, Canada

11:00

Break & Speaker Upload Available

Parallel Boot Camp Sessions 2: Foundations II

Moderators: T.B.A.

11:30

Diffusion Encodings

Qiuyun Fan, Ph.D.
Tianjin University
Tianjin, China

Moderators: T.B.A.

11:30

Image Processing Pipelines

Daan Christiaens, Ph.D.
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Leuven, Belgium

13:00

Lunch & Speaker Upload Available

Parallel Boot Camp Sessions 3: Analysis & Applications I

Moderators: T.B.A.

14:30

Mathematical Representations

Sune Nørhøj Jespersen, Ph.D.
Aarhus University
Aarhus, Denmark

Moderators: T.B.A.

14:30

Analysis Techniques

Elinor Thompson, Ph.D.
University College London
London, England, UK

16:00

Break & Speaker Upload Available

Parallel Boot Camp Sessions 4: Analysis & Applications II

Moderators: T.B.A.

16:30

Biological Models of Diffusion

Dmitry Novikov, Ph.D.
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
New York, NY, USA

Moderators: T.B.A.

16:30

Tractography

Chun-Hung Yeh, Ph.D.
Chang Gung University
Taoyuan City, Taiwan

17:50

Closing Remarks

T.B.A.

18:00

Fireside Chat: How to Survive Diffusion MRI as a Trainee?

Peter Basser, Ph.D.,
Denis Le Bihan, M.D., Ph.D.,
Derek Jones, Ph.D. &
Michael Moseley, Ph.D.

18:30

Adjourn

20:00

Trainee Networking Event (until 22:00)

Day 2 - Monday, 17 February 2025

08:30

Registration & Speaker Upload Available

Session 1: Introduction

Moderators: T.B.A.

09:00

Welcome

T.B.A.

09:15

Keynote: From Brownian Motion to Virtual Biopsy: A Historical Perspective from 40 Years of Diffusion MRI

Denis Le Bihan, M.D., Ph.D.
Frederic Joliot Institute for Life Sciences
Cedex, France

Session 2: Hardware, Acquisition & Processing

Moderators: Jelle Veraart, Ph.D. & T.B.A.

10:00

Hardware: Field Strength

An Joseph Vu, Ph.D.
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA, USA

10:30

Hardware: Gradient

Gigi Galiana, Ph.D
Yale University
New Haven, CT, USA

11:00

Sequence Encoding

Filip Sczepankiewicz, Ph.D.
Lund University
Lund, Sweden

11:30

Break & Speaker Upload Available

12:00

Sequence Image Formation

Erpeng Dai, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Stanford, CA, USA

12:30

Proffered Papers - Oral Session

13:00

Senior Expert-Led Panel Discussion

T.B.A.

13:30

Lunch & Speaker Upload Available

15:00

Fireside Chat
Handling Disruptions in Imaging & Science

Thomas Foo, Ph.D.,
Carlo Pierpaoli, M.D., Ph.D. &
Kawin Setsompop, Ph.D.

Session 3: Tractography & Connectivity

Moderators: Alexander Leemans Ph.D. & Carl-Fredrik Westin, Ph.D.

15:30

Tractography Visualization

Anna Villanova, Ph.D.
Eindhoven University of Techonology
Eindhoven, The Netherlands

16:00

Tracking Methods for Short Association Fibers

Dmitri Šastin, FRCS (SN), Ph.D.
Cardiff University
Cardiff, Wales

16:30

The Future of Tractography

Maxime Descoteaux, Ph.D.
Université de Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

17:00

Proffered Papers - Oral Session

17:30

Senior Expert-Led Panel Discussion

T.B.A.

Session 4: Power Pitches, Poster & Consensus Session

Moderators: T.B.A.

18:00

Power Pitch Session

18:45

Poster Session

19:45

Adjourn & Dinner on Own

Day 3 - Tuesday, 18 February 2025

08:30

Registration & Speaker Upload Available

09:00

Keynote: Microstructure

Peter Basser, Ph.D.
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD, USA

Session 5: Microstructure of the Brain & Validation

Moderators: Kouhei Kamiya, M.D. & Chantal Tax, Ph.D

09:45

Current Development & Application of Microstructural MRI

Corey Baron, Ph.D.
Western University
London, ON, Canada

10:15

Microstructure of the Brain: Recent Advances in Validation

Tim Dyrby, Ph.D.
Cophenhagan University Hospital
Copenhagan, Denmark

10:45

Microstructure of the Brain: Clinical Applications

Jennifer McNab, Ph.D.
Stanford University
Stanford, CA, USA

11:15

Break & Speaker Upload Available

11:45

Preclinical Imaging

Noam Shemesh, Ph.D.
Champalimaud Foundation
Lisbon, Portugal

12:15

Proffered Papers - Oral Session

12:45

Expert-Led Panel Discussion

T.B.A.

13:15

Lunch & Speaker Upload Available

14:45

Fireside Chat
Beyond Diffusion MRI: Multimodal Approaches

Maxime Descoteaux, Ph.D.,
Els Fieremans, Ph.D. &
T.B.A.

Session 6: Diffusion in the Body & Oncology

Moderators: Maryam Afzali, Ph.D. & Gigin Lin, M.D., Ph.D.

15:15

Challenges in Body Diffusion & How To Overcome Them

Francesco Grussu, Ph.D.
Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology
Barcelona, Spain

15:45

Advanced Diffusion Models in the Body

Dow-Mu Koh, M.D.
Royal Marsden Hospital
London, England, UK

16:15

Body Diffusion in the Clinic: Present & Future

Shintaro Ichikawa, M.D., Ph.D.
Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
Hamamatsu, Japan

16:45

Proffered Papers - Oral Session

17:15

Expert-Led Panel Discussion

T.B.A.

Session 7: Power Pitches, Poster & Consensus Sessions

Moderators: T.B.A.

17:45

Power Pitch Session

18:30

Poster Session

19:30

Adjourn & Dinner on Own

Day 4 - Wednesday, 19 February 2025

08:30

Registration & Speaker Upload Available

08:45

Keynote: Research to Clinic

Jens Jensen, Ph.D.
Medical University of South Carolina
Charlestown, SC, USA

Session 8: From Research to the Clinic

Moderators: T.B.A.

09:30

Neurodegenerative Diseases

Christina Andica, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate School of Medicine Juntendo University
Tokyo, Japan

10:00

Cardiac

Christopher Nguyen, Ph.D.
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH, USA

10:30

Break & Speaker Upload Available

11:00

Developing Brain

Sila Genc, Ph.D.
Royal Children's Hospital
Parkville, VIC, Australia

11:30

Proffered Papers - Oral Session

12:00

Expert-Led Panel Discussion

T.B.A.

12:30

Lunch & Speaker Upload Available

14:00

Fireside Chat
Successes & Pitfalls of Clinical Collaborations

Masako Kataoka, M.D., PhD.,
Gigin Lin, M.D., Ph.D. &
Ona Wu, Ph.D.

Session 9: AI & Big Data

Moderators: Maxime Descoteaux, Ph.D. & Chuyang Ye, Ph.D.

14:30

Charting Multi-Scale Brain Phenotypes Using Spectral Normative Models

Sina Mansour L., B.Sc.
University of Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC, Australia

15:00

Machine Learning Methods To Enhance the Capabilities of Diffusion MRI for Studying the Fetal Brain

Davood Karimi, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA, USA

15:30

A Guided Tour of Generative AI in Neuroimaging & Tractometry

Paul Thompson, Ph.D.
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA, USA

16:00

Proffered Papers - Oral Session

16:30

Expert-Led Panel Discussion

T.B.A.

Session 10: Power Pitches, Poster & Consensus Sessions

Moderators: T.B.A.

17:00

Power Pitch Session

18:00

Poster Viewing Session

19:00

Networking Dinner

21:45

Adjourn

Day 5 - Thursday, 20 February 2025

08:30

Registration & Speaker Upload Available

08:45

Keynote: Past, Present & Future Perspectives

T.B.A.

Session 11: On the Horizon: Cutting Edge Topics & Future Directions in Diffusion MRI Research

Moderators: T.B.A.

09:30

Diffusion-Weighted MRS & MRSI

T.B.A.

10:00

DWI/DTI on Neurofluids

Toshiaki Taoka, M.D., Ph.D.
Nagoya University
Nagoya, Japan

10:30

DWI-PET

Sho Koyasu, M.D., Ph.D.
Kyoto University
Kyoto, Japan

11:00

Trainee Awards

11:15

Panel Discussion: Strategic Directions

T.B.A.

11:45

Recap & Reflections

12:15

Boxed Lunch & Adjourn