Researcher biography

Prof Ian M. Brereton, BSc, PhD, was formerly the Director, research and technology at the Centre for Advanced Imaging; Director of m2m Imaging Australia Pty Ltd; Director, Queensland NMR Network and former Director, Queensland Node, National Imaging Facility.

Research activities in the Brereton group are linked by a common aim of developing methods for the improved understanding of the molecular basis of biological function and disease, and informing the development of new diagnostic imaging technologies and approaches to therapy. The research is primarily based upon Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging methods and is applied to a breadth of scale, from the molecular structure and function of important biomolecules and metabolic profiling of living systems to targeted imaging agents and biomarkers for detection of disease and disorders. Research interests include:

  • High resolution NMR spectroscopy in metabolomics and structural biology
  • The application 1H and multinuclear MR spectroscopy to study metabolic processes and to understand function and disease using MR molecular probes
  • Use of hyperpolarisation for MR molecular imaging
  • Development of purine nucleoside phosphonates as anti-malarial drugs targeting nucleoside synthesis in Plasmodium
  • Development of novel MRI and PET biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease
  • High field prepolarising magnet for low field imaging

Keywords: Magnetic resonance, NMR, biomarkers, metabolomics