Masahiro Fujita

Masahiro Fujita, MD, PhD

Research Professor of Neurology, Academic Institute
Full Research Member, Research Institute
Director, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Core, Research Institute
Houston Methodist
Weill Cornell Medical College


Positron Emission Tomography (PET)


Biography

Dr. Masahiro Fujita is PET Core Director for the Translational Imaging Center and Chair of the Radiation Safety Committee at Houston Methodist Research Institute. Dr. Fujita is a world-renowned expert on brain molecular imaging using positron emission tomography (PET) with expertise in the evaluation of PET tracers and kinetic analysis. Using PET, Dr. Fujita aims to guide the development of novel therapies by bridging expertise in basic and clinical sciences.

Dr. Fujita earned MD and PhD from Osaka University, Japan, in 1987 and 1992, respectively. In Japan, he earned board certification in nuclear medicine and diagnostic radiology and also obtained qualification as Type-1 Radiation Protection Supervisor. Prior to joining HMRI, Dr. Fujita held positions of Staff Scientist at National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health from 2002 to 2018 and Assistant Professor at Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine from 1999 to 2002.

Description of Research

Dr. Fujita has made significant contributions to advance knowledge on brain disorders by imaging and discovering pathological changes in brain molecules. Increasing number of basic studies have shown that neuroinflammation is a key player in many brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and major depressive disorder. Dr. Fujita has done pioneering research studies to detect neuroinflammation by imaging translocator protein using PET. Dr. Fujita has also discovered abnormalities in signal transduction inside of cells and the correction by antidepressants in major depressive disorder. By collaborating with clinical and basic scientists within and outside of Houston Methodist, Dr. Fujita visualizes molecules, which are used as novel markers of disease status and therapeutic effects or as targets for novel therapies.

Areas Of Expertise

Molecular imaging Brain imaging Positron emission tomography Image quantification
Education & Training

PhD, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine
MD, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University
Publications

Imaging Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders
Masdeu, JC, Pascual, B & Fujita, M 2022, , Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine, vol. 63, no. Suppl 1, pp. 45S-52S. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.121.263200

Imaging Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disorders
Masdeu, JC, Pascual, B & Fujita, M 2022, , Journal of Nuclear Medicine, vol. 63, no. Suppl 1, pp. 45S-52S. https://doi.org/10.2967/JNUMED.121.263200

Alterations in brain synaptic proteins and mRNAs in mood disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of postmortem brain studies
Leung, E, Lau, EW, Liang, A, de Dios, C, Suchting, R, Östlundh, L, Masdeu, JC, Fujita, M, Sanches, M, Soares, JC & Selvaraj, S 2022, , Molecular Psychiatry, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 1362-1372. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01410-9

Neuroinflammation is highest in areas of disease progression in semantic dementia
Pascual, B, Funk, Q, Zanotti Fregonara, P, Cykowski, MD, Veronese, M, Rockers, E, Bradbury, K, Yu, M, Nakawah, MO, Román, GC, Schulz, PE, Arumanayagam, AS, Beers, D, Faridar, A, Fujita, M, Appel, SH & Masdeu, JC 2021, , Brain, vol. 144, no. 5, pp. 1565-1575. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awab057

Neuroinflammation is highest in areas of disease progression in semantic dementia
Pascual, B, Funk, Q, Zanotti-Fregonara, P, Cykowski, MD, Veronese, M, Rockers, E, Bradbury, K, Yu, M, Nakawah, MO, Román, GC, Schulz, PE, Arumanayagam, AS, Beers, D, Faridar, A, Fujita, M, Appel, SH & Masdeu, JC 2021, , Brain, vol. 144, no. 5, pp. 1565-1575. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awab057

In vitro and pilot in vivo imaging of 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) in inflammatory vascular disease
Schollhammer, R, Lepreux, S, Barthe, N, Vimont, D, Rullier, A, Sibon, I, Berard, X, Zhang, A, Kimura, Y, Fujita, M, Innis, RB, Zanotti-Fregonara, P & Morgat, C 2021, , EJNMMI Research, vol. 11, no. 1, 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13550-021-00786-7

First-in-human evaluation of [11C]PS13, a novel PET radioligand, to quantify cyclooxygenase-1 in the brain
Kim, MJ, Lee, JH, Juarez Anaya, F, Hong, J, Miller, W, Telu, S, Singh, P, Cortes, MY, Henry, K, Tye, GL, Frankland, MP, Montero Santamaria, JA, Liow, JS, Zoghbi, SS, Fujita, M, Pike, VW & Innis, RB 2020, , European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, vol. 47, no. 13, pp. 3143-3151. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-020-04855-2

PET imaging of phosphodiesterase-4 identifies affected dysplastic bone in McCune–Albright syndrome, a genetic mosaic disorder
Weidner, LD, Wakabayashi, Y, Stolz, LA, Collins, MT, Guthrie, L, Victorino, M, Chung, J, Miller, W, Zoghbi, SS, Pike, VW, Fujita, M, Innis, RB & Boyce, AM 2020, , Journal of Nuclear Medicine, vol. 61, no. 11, pp. 1672-1677. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.120.241976

Discovery, Radiolabeling, and Evaluation of Subtype-Selective Inhibitors for Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Brain Phosphodiesterase-4D
Wakabayashi, Y, Telu, S, Dick, RM, Fujita, M, Ooms, M, Morse, CL, Liow, JS, Hong, JS, Gladding, RL, Manly, LS, Zoghbi, SS, Mo, X, DAmato, EC, Sindac, JA, Nugent, RA, Marron, BE, Gurney, ME, Innis, RB & Pike, VW 2020, , ACS Chemical Neuroscience, vol. 11, no. 9, pp. 1311-1323. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00077

PET measurement of cyclooxygenase-2 using a novel radioligand: Upregulation in primate neuroinflammation and first-in-human study
Shrestha, S, Kim, MJ, Eldridge, M, Lehmann, ML, Frankland, M, Liow, JS, Yu, ZX, Cortes-Salva, M, Telu, S, Henter, ID, Gallagher, E, Lee, JH, Fredericks, JM, Poffenberger, C, Tye, G, Ruiz-Perdomo, Y, Anaya, FJ, Montero Santamaria, JA, Gladding, RL, Zoghbi, SS, Fujita, M, Katz, JD, Pike, VW & Innis, RB 2020, , Journal of Neuroinflammation, vol. 17, no. 1, 140. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-020-01804-6

[11C](R)-Rolipram positron emission tomography detects DISC1 inhibition of phosphodiesterase type 4 in live Disc1 locus-impaired mice
Ooms, M, Tsujikawa, T, Lohith, TG, Mabins, SN, Zoghbi, SS, Sumitomo, A, Jaaro-Peled, H, Kimura, Y, Telu, S, Pike, VW, Tomoda, T, Innis, RB, Sawa, A & Fujita, M 2019, , Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, vol. 39, no. 7, pp. 1306-1313. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271678X18758997

Imaging of renal cell carcinoma in patients with acquired cystic disease of the kidney: comparison 11 C-choline and FDG PET/CT with dynamic contrast-enhanced CT
Kitajima, K, Yamamoto, S, Kawanaka, Y, Katsuura, T, Fujita, M, Nakanishi, Y, Yamada, Y, Hashimoto, T, Suzuki, T, Go, S, Kanematsu, A, Nojima, M & Yamakado, K 2019, , Japanese Journal of Radiology, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 165-177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-018-0789-1

Evaluation of two potent and selective PET radioligands to image COX-1 and COX-2 in rhesus monkeys
Kim, MJ, Shrestha, SS, Cortes, M, Singh, P, Morse, C, Liow, JS, Gladding, RL, Brouwer, C, Henry, K, Gallagher, E, Tye, GL, Zoghbi, SS, Fujita, M, Pike, VW & Innis, RB 2018, , Journal of Nuclear Medicine, vol. 59, no. 12, pp. 1907-1912. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.118.211144

3-Substituted 1,5-Diaryl-1 H-1,2,4-triazoles as Prospective PET Radioligands for Imaging Brain COX-1 in Monkey. Part 2: Selection and Evaluation of [11C]PS13 for Quantitative Imaging
Shrestha, S, Singh, P, Cortes-Salva, MY, Jenko, KJ, Ikawa, M, Kim, MJ, Kobayashi, M, Morse, CL, Gladding, RL, Liow, JS, Zoghbi, SS, Fujita, M, Innis, RB & Pike, VW 2018, , ACS Chemical Neuroscience, vol. 9, no. 11, pp. 2620-2627. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00103

Assessment of tumor response to chemoradiotherapy and predicting prognosis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by PERCIST
Katsuura, T, Kitajima, K, Fujiwara, M, Terada, T, Uwa, N, Noguchi, K, Doi, H, Tamaki, Y, Yoshida, R, Tsuchitani, T, Fujita, M & Yamakado, K 2018, , Annals of Nuclear Medicine, vol. 32, no. 7, pp. 453-462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-018-1267-7

11 C-DPA-713 has much greater specific binding to translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) in human brain than 11 C-(R)-PK11195
Kobayashi, M, Jiang, T, Telu, S, Zoghbi, SS, Gunn, RN, Rabiner, EA, Owen, DR, Guo, Q, Pike, VW, Innis, RB & Fujita, M 2018, , Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 393-403. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271678X17699223

Building a database for brain 18 kDa translocator protein imaged using [11C]PBR28 in healthy subjects
Paul, S, Gallagher, E, Liow, JS, Mabins, S, Henry, K, Zoghbi, SS, Gunn, RN, Kreisl, WC, Richards, EM, Zanotti-Fregonara, P, Morse, CL, Hong, J, Kowalski, A, Pike, VW, Innis, RB & Fujita, M 2019, , Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 1138-1147. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271678X18771250

PET radioligand binding to translocator protein (TSPO) is increased in unmedicated depressed subjects
Richards, EM, Zanotti-Fregonara, P, Fujita, M, Newman, L, Farmer, C, Ballard, ED, Machado-Vieira, R, Yuan, P, Niciu, MJ, Lyoo, CH, Henter, ID, Salvadore, G, Drevets, WC, Kolb, H, Innis, RB & Zarate, CA 2018, , EJNMMI Research, vol. 8, 57. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13550-018-0401-9

Comparison of two PET radioligands, [11C]FPEB and [11C]SP203, for quantification of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 in human brain
Lohith, TG, Tsujikawa, T, Siméon, FG, Veronese, M, Zoghbi, SS, Lyoo, CH, Kimura, Y, Morse, CL, Pike, VW, Fujita, M & Innis, RB 2017, , Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, vol. 37, no. 7, pp. 2458-2470. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271678X16668891

CAMP signaling in brain is decreased in unmedicated depressed patients and increased by treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Fujita, M, Richards, EM, Niciu, MJ, Ionescu, DF, Zoghbi, SS, Hong, J, Telu, S, Hines, CS, Pike, VW, Zarate, CA & Innis, RB 2017, , Molecular Psychiatry, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 754-759. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2016.171

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