Christoph Juchem

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

351 Engineering Terrace
Mail Code 8904

Tel(212) 305-2693
Fax(212) 854-8725

Christoph Juchem is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at Columbia University. In his research, he develops novel magnetic resonance methods and technology to establish optimized tools for neuroscientific and clinical applications. His long-term goal as a physicist is to realize the full potential of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) as a diagnostic tool. His clinical long-term goal is to understand the role that neurochemicals play in the protection of the human central nervous system (CNS) or, alternatively, how dysfunction promotes vulnerability towards neurodegenerative and neuro-immunological diseases.

Research Interests

Biomedical engineering, medical devices, biochemistry, neurodegeneration, neuroscience, translational/clinical research, multiple sclerosis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), medical devices, MR sequence development, magnetic field modeling, B0/B1 shimming, dynamic multi-coil technique (DYNAMITE), biomedical technology, clinical trials.

Reliable quantification of biochemicals with in vivo MRS relies on excellent spectral data quality, processing and quantification capability. In his research, he has optimized critical aspects of the measurement pipeline including experimental conditions (e.g. B0 shimming), MRS sequences (e.g. ‘ghost’ removal) and quantification (e.g. simulation of realistic basis spectra for linear combination modeling). He furthermore developed and disseminated the freeware INSPECTOR user-tool as a one-stop-shop solution for processing, quantification and quality assessment of in vivo MRS data (200+ downloads since 2017).

Dr. Juchem has more than 20 years of experience in developing and conducting in vivo MR experiments at 3.0-11.7 Tesla field in humans and animal models and has demonstrated his scientific expertise in 50+ publications, book chapters and patents, as reviewer for 20+ scientific journals and as grant reviewer for 8 national research societies. He has served as Co-Director of Yale University's 7T Brain MR Spectroscopy Core, Chair of the ISMRM Engineering Study group, member of the ISMRM Annual Meeting Program Committee (AMPC). He has served on the editorial board of NMR in Biomedicine and as Secretary of the ISMRM MR Spectroscopy Study Group, to be Chair in 2023.

Research Experience

  • Affiliate Member, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute (ZMBBI), Columbia University, 2019-Present
  • Adjunct Faculty, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), New York, 2018-Present
  • Visiting Professor, Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany, 2017
  • Associate Professor (Tenure Track), Departments of Biomedical Engineering & Radiology, Columbia University, 2016-Present
  • Assistant Professor, Departments of Radiology & Neurology, Yale University, 2012-2016
  • Co-director of the 7 Tesla brain MR spectroscopy core at Yale MRRC, Dept. Diagn. Radiology, 2010–2016
  • System manager human 7 Tesla MR scanner, Yale MRRC, Dept. Diagnostic Radiology, 2010–2016
  • Associate Research Scientist, Yale University, 2008–2011
  • Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University, 2007–2008
  • Doctoral Studies, Max-Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and Eberhard-Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany, 2002–2006
  • Night operator at the particle accelerator of the University of Bonn, Bonn Isochron-Cyclotron, 2000–2001
  • Studies of Physics, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Germany, 1998–2001
  • Studies of Physics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, 1997–1998
  • Studies of Physics, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Germany, 1995–1997

Professional Experience

  • Associate Professor (Tenure Track) of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology, Columbia University, 2016–
  • Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Diagnostic Radiology and Neurology, Yale University, 2012–2016

Honors & Awards

  • Secretary, MR Spectroscopy Study Group, ISMRM, 2021-2022
  • Distinguished Reviewer (5x), Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (MRM), 2014-2018
  • Chair, MR Engineering Study Group, ISMRM, 2014-2015
  • Vice-Chair, MR Engineering Study Group, ISMRM, 2013-2014
  • Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Scholar, YCCI, New Haven, CT, 2013
  • Secretary, MR Engineering Study Group, ISMRM, 2012-2013
  • Finalist, Rabi Young Investigator Award, ISMRM Annual Meeting, Montreal, QC, Canada, 2011
  • Stipend of the German Scholars Organization (GSO), Berlin, Germany, 2011
  • Best scientific poster in engineering, ISMRM Annual Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden, 2010
  • J.H. Brown & A. Brown Coxe postdoctoral fellowship in the medical sciences, Yale University, 2007-2008
  • Doctoral stipend of the Max-Planck Society, 2006
  • 3 ISMRM educational stipends, Annual Meetings: Kyoto/Japan, Miami Beach/FL, Seattle/WA, 2004-2006
  • Erasmus Exchange Fellowship of the European Union, 1997-1998

Selected Publications

  • Hock M, Terekhov M, Stefanescu MR, Lohr D, Herz S, Reiter T, Ankenbrand M, Kosmala A, Gassenmaier T, Juchem C, Schreiber LM. B0 shimming of the human heart at 7T. Magn Reson Med   85:182-196 (2021).
  • Juchem C, Theilenberg S, Kumaragamage C, Mullen M, DelaBarre L, Adriany G, Brown PB, McIntyre S, Nixon TW, Garwood M, de Graaf RA. Dynamic multicoil technique (DYNAMITE) MRI on human brain. Magn Reson Med  84:2953-2963 (2020).
  • Juchem C, Cudalbu C, de Graaf RA, Gruetter R, Henning A, Hetherington HP, Boer VO. B0 shimming for in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy: Experts' consensus recommendations. NMR Biomed 34:e4350 (2021).
  • Landheer K, Gajdošík M, Treacy M, Juchem C. Concentration and effective T2 relaxation times of macromolecules at 3T. Magn Reson Med 84:2327-2337 (2020).
  • Near J, Harris AD, Juchem C, Kreis R, Marjańska M, Öz G, Slotboom J, Wilson M, Gasparovic C. Preprocessing, analysis and quantification in single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy: experts' consensus recommendations. NMR Biomed 34:e4257 (2021).
  • Landheer K, Schulte RF, Treacy MS, Swanberg KM, Juchem C. Theoretical description of modern 1 H in Vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopic pulse sequences. J Magn Reson Imaging 51:1008-1029 (2020).
  • Cudalbu C, Behar KL, Bhattacharyya PK, Bogner W, Borbath T, de Graaf RA, Gruetter R, Henning A, Juchem C, Kreis R, Lee P, Lei H, Marjańska M, Mekle R, Murali-Manohar S, Považan M, Rackayová V, Simicic D, Slotboom J, Soher BJ, Starčuk Z Jr, Starčuková J, Tkáč I, Williams S, Wilson M, Wright AM, Xin L, Mlynárik V. Contribution of macromolecules to brain 1 H MR spectra: Experts' consensus recommendations. NMR Biomed  34:e4393 (2021).
  • Landheer K, Prinsen H, Petroff OA, Rothman DL, Juchem C. Elevated homocarnosine and GABA in subject on isoniazid as assessed through 1H MRS at 7T. Anal Biochem 599:113738 (2020).
  • Juchem C, de Graaf RA. B0 magnetic field homogeneity and shimming for in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Anal Biochem. 529:17-29 (2017).
  • Prinsen H, de Graaf RA, Mason GF, Pelletier D, Juchem C. Towards Pathoneurochemical Profiling of Multiple Sclerosis: Single-Session Measurement of Glutathione, GABA and Glutamate with MR Spectroscopy at 7 Tesla. J Magn Reson Imaging 45:187-198 (2017).
  • Juchem C, Nahhass OM, Nixon TW, de Graaf RA. Multi-Slice Magnetic Resonance Imaging with the Dynamic Multi-Coil Technique. NMR Biomed 28:1526-1534 (2015).
  • Juchem C*, Umesh Rudrapatna*, Nixon TW, de Graaf RA. Dynamic Multi-Coil Technique (DYNAMITE) Shimming for Echo-Planar Imaging of the Human Brain at 7 Tesla. *contributed equally. NeuroImage 105:462-472 (2015).
  • Juchem C, Herman P, Sanganahalli BG, Nixon TW, Brown PB, McIntyre S, Hyder F, de Graaf RA. Dynamic Multi-Coil Technique (DYNAMITE) Shimmed EPI of the Rat Brain at 11.7 Tesla. NMR Biomed  27, 897-906 (2014).
  • Juchem C, Nixon TW, McIntyre S, Boer VO, Rothman DL, de Graaf RA. Dynamic Multi-Coil Shimming of the Human Brain at 7 Tesla. J Magn Reson 212, 280-288 (2011).
  • Juchem C, Brown PB, Nixon TW, McIntyre S, Rothman DL, de Graaf RA. Multi-Coil Shimming of the Mouse Brain. Magn Reson Med 66, 893-900 (2011).
  • Juchem C, Nixon TW, McIntyre S, Rothman DL, de Graaf RA. Magnetic Field Modeling with a Set of Individual Localized Coils. J Magn Reson 204, 281-289 (2010).
  • Juchem C. Passive Shimming for MR Spectroscopy at High Magnetic Fields. US Patent 7,459,908 B2 (2008).
  • Juchem C, Logothetis NK, Pfeuffer J. 1H MR Spectroscopy of the Macaque Primary Visual Cortex at 7 Tesla: Strategies and Pitfalls of Shimming at the Brain Surface. Magn Reson Imaging 25, 902-912 (2007).
  • Juchem C, Muller-Bierl B, Schick F, Logothetis NK, Pfeuffer J. Combined Passive and Active Shimming for In Vivo MR Spectroscopy at High Magnetic Fields. J Magn Reson 183, 278−289 (2006).