Featured events

December 8, 2025 – Guest lecture by Gizeaddis L. Simegn (Ph.D.) – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

“Advanced Edited Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: Acquisition, Data Analysis, and Applications”

Location: UZ Leuven – Auditorium Paul Suetens (MIRC) – 12-13h

In-vivo edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides a unique means to quantify low-concentration metabolites such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutathione, by using specialized pulse sequences that selectively modulate and isolate targeted J-coupled spectral components. Techniques such as MEGA-PRESS, HERMES, and HERCULES extend the capabilities of conventional MRS by enabling the detection of multiple low-abundance metabolites with improved specificity and efficiency. These advanced editing approaches leverage frequency-selective editing pulses, tailored sub-echo timings, and multi-band model fitting and signal processing strategies to disentangle overlapping spectral signatures, yielding more reliable and interpretable neurochemical measurements in vivo.

This talk will highlight the basic principles of MRS, edited MRS and recent developments in edited MRS acquisition, including advances in pulse-sequence design, frequency- and phase- correction strategies, and emerging motion-correction methods that enhance measurement stability. Efforts to reduce artifacts through refined gradient-scheme design will be discussed as part of a broader workflow aimed at improving overall data robustness. The presentation will also cover advances in data-processing pipelines that enhance the accuracy, precision, and reproducibility of edited MRS measurements.

October 16, 2025 – Invited guest lecture by Pierre Carlier, MD, PhD

“NMR imaging and spectroscopy, versatile and powerful tools to investigate the skeletal muscle non-invasively”

Location: Hasselt University – Campus Diepenbeek – Building D – 16h30