Dr. Xiaozhi Cao from Stanford University Visited APM

    On December 11, 2025, Dr. Xiaozhi Cao from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University was invited by Prof. Xin Zhou at the Ultra-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Group to deliver a lecture titled "Fast Quantitative Imaging Based on Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting" in Room 1719, Building M. The lecture was chaired by Prof. Daiqin Chen.

    Dr. Xiaozhi Cao is currently a research scientist at Stanford University. He earned his Ph.D. from Zhejiang University under the supervision of Professor Jianhui Zhong, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital and Stanford University under the guidance of Professor Kawin Setsompop. His primary research focuses on novel magnetic resonance acquisition and reconstruction techniques, with an emphasis on fast quantitative imaging and diffusion imaging. In the field of medical magnetic resonance, he has published over 30 SCI papers, including 6 first-author papers and 3 corresponding-author papers, all published in the top-tier journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (MRM). His work has been cited over a thousand times. He has delivered 10 oral presentations at the ISMRM international conference, received multiple Outstanding Paper and Merit Awards, and was elected as an ISMRM Junior Fellow in 2024 (a distinction awarded to only 15 individuals globally each year). He has participated in several research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Natural Science Foundation, and holds two invention patents.

    During the lecture, Dr. Cao first highlighted a key challenge in current magnetic resonance imaging: traditional quantitative MRI techniques often require multiple separate scans to obtain different parameters, making the process complex and time-consuming. He then systematically introduced Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF), an innovative imaging method designed to rapidly and comprehensively acquire multi-parameter quantitative imaging data. By employing a set of rapidly varying pulse sequences, MRF can simultaneously collect signals for multiple parameters in a single scan and generate corresponding multi-parameter quantitative maps.

    Next, Dr. Cao elaborated on the latest research advances in this technology, covering efficient data acquisition and image reconstruction methods, as well as techniques for correcting motion artifacts and magnetic field inhomogeneity. Furthermore, the lecture explored the key physical and engineering challenges—and potential solutions—in extending the technology from 3T to ultra-high-field 7T and low-field 0.55T systems.

    Beyond basic relaxation time quantification, the report noted that, through continuous technical innovation, MRF now enables the measurement of additional quantitative parameters, such as diffusion coefficients, myelin water fraction, and blood flow velocity. Finally, Dr. Cao briefly introduced the clinical and scientific collaborations underway based on MRF technology.

    Following the presentation, Dr. Cao engaged in discussions with the attending faculty and students, further enhancing their understanding and awareness of Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting technology.