publications | Qing Dai

2026

iMRI
Active electromagnetic interference suppression for MR thermometry during MR-guided microwave ablation

Qing Dai, Jason Chiang, Shu-Fu Shih, Wenqi Zhou, David S. K. Lu, and Holden H. Wu

Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2026

U.S. Patent Pending

Summa Cum Laude AMPC Selected Abs DOI Bib HTML Code Conference Proceedings

ISMRM 2025

ISMRM 2025

Purpose: To develop a software-based active electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppression (AES) framework on whole-body multi-channel MRI systems for reliable MRI and MR thermometry during MRI-guided microwave ablation (MWA). Methods: In addition to primary imaging coils, an unloaded standard body array coil was positioned outside the imaging volume to serve as "auxiliary coils" for detecting and characterizing EMI. At each time frame, principal component analysis compressed the auxiliary coil data to extract the dominant EMI pattern. The EMI coupled into the primary coils was then modeled with channel-specific impulse response functions and subtracted from the primary coil data on a frame-by-frame basis. The framework was evaluated through MWA experiments in gel phantoms and in vivo pig models at 3T with parallel imaging acceleration. Proton resonance frequency shift (PRF) MR thermometry accuracy was assessed using fiber-optic probes. The PRF-derived thermal dose prediction was compared with post-ablation MRI and tissue gross pathology. Results: AES effectively suppressed EMI-induced artifacts and substantially improved image quality, yielding signal-to-noise-ratio enhancement of 40-fold (gel) and 13-fold (in vivo) and an EMI suppression rate >92%. Reliable PRF temperature mapping was enabled, with temporal mean-absolute-error of <1.4°C and <0.3°C in ablated and non-heating regions, respectively. Thermal dose estimation matched post-ablation MRI and gross pathology findings. Conclusion: The proposed AES framework effectively suppressed ablation-device-related EMI and enabled reliable MRI and MR thermometry during MWA. This approach can be integrated into existing reconstruction pipelines to facilitate the broader clinical adoption of MRI-guided MWA and other interventions affected by EMI.
@article{dai2026emi, title = {Active electromagnetic interference suppression for {MR} thermometry during {MR}-guided microwave ablation}, author = {Dai, Qing and Chiang, Jason and Shih, Shu-Fu and Zhou, Wenqi and Lu, David S. K. and Wu, Holden H.}, journal = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine}, year = {2026}, doi = {10.1002/mrm.70440}, note = {U.S. Patent Pending}, summa = {ISMRM 2025}, ampc = {ISMRM 2025}, ismrm = {http://echo.ismrm.org/abstracts/view/ae86111c-711c-4fe8-9d42-af06fe9f582b}, }

iMRI

Characterizing the Spatiotemporal Thermal Effects of Pulsed Microwave Ablation with Computational Modeling and MR Thermometry

Qing Dai, Jason Chiang, Wenqi Zhou, David Lu, and Holden H. Wu

In Proc. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Meeting, 2026

Magna Cum Laude Bib Conference Proceedings

ISMRM 2026

@inproceedings{dai2026pulsedmwa,
  title = {Characterizing the Spatiotemporal Thermal Effects of Pulsed Microwave Ablation with Computational Modeling and {MR} Thermometry},
  author = {Dai, Qing and Chiang, Jason and Zhou, Wenqi and Lu, David and Wu, Holden H.},
  booktitle = {Proc. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Meeting},
  address = {Cape Town, South Africa},
  pages = {530-03-003},
  year = {2026},
  ismrm = {http://echo.ismrm.org/abstracts/view/d7719a44-3992-41ca-ba20-b81946fc1fd5},
  magna = {ISMRM 2026},
}

Computer Vision

CoDe: A Self-Supervised Consistency Model Framework for MRI Denoising

Junying Li, Qingyang Hou, Kaifeng Pang, Qi Miao, Alex Ling Yu Hung, Elif Aygun, Shu-Fu Shih, Qing Dai, Holden H. Wu, and Kyunghyun Sung

In 2026 IEEE 23rd International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI), 2026

DOI Bib HTML

@inproceedings{li2026code,
  title = {{CoDe}: A Self-Supervised Consistency Model Framework for {MRI} Denoising},
  author = {Li, Junying and Hou, Qingyang and Pang, Kaifeng and Miao, Qi and Hung, Alex Ling Yu and Aygun, Elif and Shih, Shu-Fu and Dai, Qing and Wu, Holden H. and Sung, Kyunghyun},
  booktitle = {2026 IEEE 23rd International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI)},
  pages = {1--5},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1109/ISBI61048.2026.11515485},
}

Computer Vision

UCSF RMaC: University of California San Francisco 3D Multi-Phase Renal Mass CT Dataset with Tumor Segmentations

Sule Sahin, Ernesto Diaz, Abhejit Rajagopal, Mansour Abtahi, Samantha Jones, Qing Dai, Sage Kramer, Zhen Jane Wang, and Peder E. Z. Larson

2026

Bib Code medRxiv

@article{sahin2026rmac,
  title = {{UCSF RMaC}: University of California San Francisco {3D} Multi-Phase Renal Mass {CT} Dataset with Tumor Segmentations},
  author = {Sahin, Sule and Diaz, Ernesto and Rajagopal, Abhejit and Abtahi, Mansour and Jones, Samantha and Dai, Qing and Kramer, Sage and Wang, Zhen Jane and Larson, Peder E. Z.},
  year = {2026},
  medrxiv = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.11.26346096v1}
}

iMRI

Keypoint detection network for needle localization on intra-procedural MRI in MRI-guided liver interventions

Wenqi Zhou, Qing Dai, Omar Curiel, Tsu-Chin Tsao, Jason Chiang, David S. Lu, and Holden H. Wu

International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, 2026

DOI Bib HTML

@article{zhou2026keypoint,
  title = {Keypoint detection network for needle localization on intra-procedural {MRI} in {MRI}-guided liver interventions},
  author = {Zhou, Wenqi and Dai, Qing and Curiel, Omar and Tsao, Tsu-Chin and Chiang, Jason and Lu, David S. and Wu, Holden H.},
  journal = {International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery},
  pages = {1--14},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s11548-026-03592-5},
}

iMRI

Volumetric thermometry in moving tissues using stack-of-radial MRI and an image-navigated multi-baseline proton resonance frequency shift method

Qing Dai, Shu-Fu Shih, Omar Curiel, Tsu-Chin Tsao, David S. Lu, Jason Chiang, and Holden H. Wu

Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2026

Summa Cum Laude AMPC Selected DOI Bib HTML

ISMRM 2024 · ISMRM 2023

ISMRM 2024

@article{dai2026thermometry,
  title = {Volumetric thermometry in moving tissues using stack-of-radial {MRI} and an image-navigated multi-baseline proton resonance frequency shift method},
  author = {Dai, Qing and Shih, Shu-Fu and Curiel, Omar and Tsao, Tsu-Chin and Lu, David S. and Chiang, Jason and Wu, Holden H.},
  journal = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine},
  volume = {95},
  number = {2},
  pages = {803--819},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/mrm.70074},
  summa = {ISMRM 2024 &middot; ISMRM 2023},
  ampc = {ISMRM 2024}
}

2025

Nano-Theranostics

Thermoresponsive Polymer-Modified SiO\textsubscript2/Gadolinium-Diethylenetriamine Pentaacetic Acid Composite Nanoparticles for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Ultrasound-Modulated Contrast Enhancement at Human Body Temperatures

Tian Deng, Qing Dai, Daniel A. Estabrook, John Chapman, Ellen M. Sletten, Holden H. Wu, and Jeffrey I. Zink

ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2025

Equal contribution

DOI Bib HTML

@article{deng2025nanoparticles,
  title = {Thermoresponsive Polymer-Modified {SiO\textsubscript{2}}/Gadolinium-Diethylenetriamine Pentaacetic Acid Composite Nanoparticles for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Ultrasound-Modulated Contrast Enhancement at Human Body Temperatures},
  author = {Deng, Tian and Dai, Qing and Estabrook, Daniel A. and Chapman, John and Sletten, Ellen M. and Wu, Holden H. and Zink, Jeffrey I.},
  journal = {ACS Applied Nano Materials},
  volume = {8},
  number = {47},
  pages = {22835--22844},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1021/acsanm.5c04320},
  note = {Equal contribution}
}

Quantitative MRI

Spatially constrained hyperpolarized ^13C MRI pharmacokinetic rate constant map estimation using a digital brain phantom and a U-Net

Sule Sahin, Anna Bennett Haller, Jeremy Gordon, Yaewon Kim, Jasmine Hu, Tanner Nickles, Qing Dai, Andrew P. Leynes, Daniel B. Vigneron, Zhen Jane Wang, and Peder E. Z. Larson

Journal of Magnetic Resonance, 2025

DOI Bib HTML

@article{sahin2025hyperpolarized,
  title = {Spatially constrained hyperpolarized {$^{13}$C} {MRI} pharmacokinetic rate constant map estimation using a digital brain phantom and a {U-Net}},
  author = {Sahin, Sule and Haller, Anna Bennett and Gordon, Jeremy and Kim, Yaewon and Hu, Jasmine and Nickles, Tanner and Dai, Qing and Leynes, Andrew P. and Vigneron, Daniel B. and Wang, Zhen Jane and Larson, Peder E. Z.},
  journal = {Journal of Magnetic Resonance},
  volume = {371},
  pages = {107832},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jmr.2025.107832},
}

iMRI

Real-time MR Thermometry to Monitor Microwave Ablation: Validation in Oncopigs using Immediate Post-Ablation MRI and Gross Pathology

Qing Dai, Jason Chiang, Glen Nyborg, Shu-Fu Shih, David S. K. Lu, and Holden H. Wu

In Proc. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Meeting, 2025

Conference Abstract

Bib Conference Proceedings

@inproceedings{dai2025oncopig,
  title = {Real-time {MR} Thermometry to Monitor Microwave Ablation: Validation in Oncopigs using Immediate Post-Ablation {MRI} and Gross Pathology},
  author = {Dai, Qing and Chiang, Jason and Nyborg, Glen and Shih, Shu-Fu and Lu, David S. K. and Wu, Holden H.},
  booktitle = {Proc. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Meeting},
  address = {Honolulu, HI, USA},
  pages = {2189},
  year = {2025},
  note = {Conference Abstract},
  ismrm = {http://echo.ismrm.org/abstracts/view/e7c44373-86aa-4e6e-ab24-ee82aa1c41c0},
}

2024

Quantitative MRI

Accelerated free-breathing liver fat and R\textsubscript2* quantification using multi-echo stack-of-radial MRI with motion-resolved multidimensional regularized reconstruction: Initial retrospective evaluation

Xiaodong Zhong, Marcel D. Nickel, Stephan A. R. Kannengiesser, Brian M. Dale, Fei Han, Chang Gao, Shu-Fu Shih, Qing Dai, Omar Curiel, Tsu-Chin Tsao, Holden H. Wu, and Vikas Deshpande

Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2024

DOI Bib HTML

@article{zhong2024fatR2,
  title = {Accelerated free-breathing liver fat and {R\textsubscript{2}*} quantification using multi-echo stack-of-radial {MRI} with motion-resolved multidimensional regularized reconstruction: Initial retrospective evaluation},
  author = {Zhong, Xiaodong and Nickel, Marcel D. and Kannengiesser, Stephan A. R. and Dale, Brian M. and Han, Fei and Gao, Chang and Shih, Shu-Fu and Dai, Qing and Curiel, Omar and Tsao, Tsu-Chin and Wu, Holden H. and Deshpande, Vikas},
  journal = {Magnetic Resonance in Medicine},
  volume = {92},
  number = {3},
  pages = {1149--1161},
  year = {2024},
  doi = {10.1002/mrm.30117},
}

2022

iMRI

Dynamic 3D Stack-of-Radial PRF MR Thermometry to Monitor High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Heating: Validation in a Tissue Motion Phantom

Qing Dai, Le Zhang, Xinzhou Li, Pengkang Yu, Tsu-Chin Tsao, and Holden H. Wu

In Proc. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Meeting, 2022

Bib Conference Proceedings

@inproceedings{dai2022hifu,
  title = {Dynamic {3D} Stack-of-Radial {PRF} {MR} Thermometry to Monitor High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Heating: Validation in a Tissue Motion Phantom},
  author = {Dai, Qing and Zhang, Le and Li, Xinzhou and Yu, Pengkang and Tsao, Tsu-Chin and Wu, Holden H.},
  booktitle = {Proc. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Annual Meeting},
  address = {London, United Kingdom},
  pages = {4084},
  year = {2022},
  ismrm = {http://echo.ismrm.org/abstracts/view/f56f6cc7-486e-4830-b847-2dcabd2d1a9c},
}

2018

Computer Vision

Cell counting and segmentation of immunohistochemical images in the spinal cord: Comparing deep learning and traditional approaches

Bau Pham, Bilwaj Gaonkar, William Whitehead, Steven Moran, Qing Dai, Luke Macyszyn, and V. Reggie Edgerton

In 2018 40th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 2018

DOI HTML