Robert A. Knight, Ph. D.

Senior Staff Investigator
Henry Ford Health System
Department of Neurology – NMR Research
799 West Grand Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48202
Tel: (313) 916-2620
ax: (313) 916-1324
Email: [email protected]

Robert Knight, Ph.D. is Senior Bioscientific Staff with the Henry Ford Department of Neurology, adjunct Professor with the Oakland University Department of Physics, Associate Professor with the Wayne State Medical School Department of Neurology, and Michigan State University Professor - Research with the Department of Radiology.  He is also the Director of the Small Animal Bioimaging Core Facility at Henry Ford Hospital.  Dr. Knight has a long history of study in a wide range of physiological measurements in experimental animals and humans using various imaging modalities including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), x-ray computed tomography (CT), quantitative autoradiography (QAR), fluorescence microscopy, and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as indicated by his publication record (see below). 

The working model for the Bioimaging laboratory over the years is for a senior MR physicist to collaborate with the research scientist requesting MRI/SPECT services.  For basic imaging projects, this will take the form of reviewing the investigator’s request for imaging, setting up an initial protocol, and generating a process for the requestor to receive the images produced.  Some rudimentary post-processing methods (e.g., tumor volume measurements) may be demonstrated to the investigator and/or his technical help.  Following preliminary studies, actual studies are then scheduled through a web-based mechanism.  For more complex disease models that utilize advanced imaging sequences and treatment, particularly where development is taking place, the physicist may be much more involved in sequence development and post-processing procedures.  Under many circumstances, particularly those that require the production of physiological images, the physicist may assume the responsibility for the analysis of imaging data and the production of parametric maps of physiology. 

Dr. Knight’s MRI interests include anatomical T1- or T2-weighted imaging, with additional imaging sequences added to study specific pathologies (e.g. post-contrast T1-weighted imaging in tumor models).  More complex sequences such as susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) can be used for cerebral tumors and models of multiple sclerosis or diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for stroke models.  Other techniques are aimed at making quantitative estimates of physiology including cerebral blood flow (CBF, acute stroke), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI, chronic stroke), and vascular transfer constant (K_trans for cerebral tumors, stroke).  Newer applications include cardiac and renal imaging and cardiac spectroscopy, variations on some of these methods may be under active development in the MRI/MRS laboratory.   

Research interests have included MRI studies in experimental cerebral ischemia and hemorrhagic transformation of ischemic brain tissue in experimental cerebral ischemia.  Another series of studies involved quantitative MR imaging of intracerebral hemorrhage in animals and in humans with and without statin treatment. This work is an excellent example of the translational efforts that we make to take our research studies from animal models of disease states to humans which is the primary focus of our work.  Another involves a long-term project that has been done with experimental models of cancer using methods using a variety of treatments such as stem cell therapy, chemotherapeutic agents and radiation therapy in combination with MRI, CT, and SPECT imaging techniques.  Some of this work is ongoing. 

Other more recent projects that Dr. Knight has been involved with include the novel development of quantitative renal blood flow imaging in rat kidneys.  Another involves the development of cardiac imaging and phosphorus (³¹P) spectroscopy in mice with translational gene knockout models that induce heart failure.  Cardiac applications in mice are also extremely challenging due to the rapid heart rate (400-600 BPM) for such small animals.  Laser ablation and radiation therapy of cerebral tumors in animals is another ongoing project.  Another study involves an investigation of water balance and movement in brain tissue, using deuterated water as a tracer, in an animal model of hydrocephalus in an examination of the root causes of normal pressure hydrocephalus. 

Additional publications