Physician Q&A with Dr. Aashim Bhatia

Physician Q&A with Dr. Aashim Bhatia

Pediatric Neuroradiologist discusses research on GBCA’s and the glymphatic system.

Physician Q&A with Dr. Aashim Bhatia 

Dr. Bhatia has partnered with Guerbet to create an educational webinar: The CSF Accumulation of GBCA’s: The Significance of the Glymphatic System, addressing key findings related to diagnostic imaging. This webinar is part of a series of webinars from Guerbet to advance research and development in diagnostic radiology.

Dr. Bhatia sat down with us recently, to discuss the discovery of the glymphatic system, gadolinium deposition in the brain, and his current research on gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCA’s.)

Q: What first piqued your interest in GBCAs and the glymphatic system?
A: The first time I saw publications begin to mention gadolinium deposits in the brain was during my fellowship in 2015. The glymphatic system is a relatively new discovery in the brain, and it’s interesting to me that when you think you have all the anatomy of the brain detailed and understood, an important discovery like that of the glymphatic system is found. Thinking about the pharmacology, I became interested in learning about the differences in the safety profile of the different GBCAs on the market. As more research is conducted, and we continue to learn more about exactly how this system works, I think we will find that it plays a significant role in a variety of diseases.

Q: What gets you excited about the future of research in this area. 
A: There is so much to learn about how the glymphatic system plays a role in CNS diseases and potentially the clearance of gadolinium from the body. I look forward to using imaging to further understand the glymphatic system, and seeing the ways in which that will allow us to positively affect patient outcomes.

Q: What advice do you have for someone exploring this field/subject area? 
A: I recommend my colleagues talk to imaging scientists to learn about tools and MRI sequences that can help produce an innovative, scientific approach to visualize the glymphatic system.

Given this new area of study there aren’t a lot of great resources as far as research of GBCAs and questions surrounding gadolinium deposits and the glymphatic system. However, I have been impressed by this study:

McDonald, R. J. et al. Gadolinium Retention: A Research Roadmap from the 2018 NIH/ACR/RSNA Workshop on Gadolinium Chelates. Radiology 181151 (2018). doi:10.1148/radiol.2018181151

Q: What's the one thing you want people to take away from your upcoming presentation?
A: I put together this webinar to help others understand the safety profile of GBCAs, which may have an impact on patients' long-term outcomes. Since we are still in the early stages of understanding how the glymphatic system works and how that impacts gadolinium depositions in the brain. Using a macrocyclic GBCA is an important step in reducing potential gadolinium retention as we continue to learn.

To watch Dr. Bhatia's Full webinar addressing key findings related to diagnostic imaging, please select the link below:

The CSF Accumulation of GBCA’s: The Significance of the Glymphatic System,

About Dr. Bhatia

Dr. Aashim Bhatia is a Pediatric Neuroradiologist who is currently focusing his research on imaging biomarkers in pediatric brain tumors, and more specifically in determining tumor progression and pseudo-progression using advanced imaging. Dr. Bhatia completed his fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2015, and later returned as the Director of Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor in Radiology at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.