Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
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.
Research interests
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.
Education/Academic qualification
MD, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University
PhD, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine
External positions
Professor of Radiology Research in Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medical College
Dec 1 2020 → …Research Area Keywords
- Imaging & Radiology
- Neurosciences
Free-text keywords
- Molecular imaging
- Positron emission tomography
- Brain imaging
- Image quantification
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- 3 Similar Profiles
Network
Projects
- 5 Active
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68Ga-PSMA 11
Miles, B. J., Boone, T. B., Chiang, S., Fujita, M., Gupta, N., Satkunasivam, R. & Yu, M.
8/17/20 → …
Project: Clinical Trial
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Merck Tau PET
Masdeu, J. C., Appel, S. H., Faridar, A., Fujita, M., Karmonik, C., Nakawah, M. O., Pascual, B. & Roman, G. C.
10/29/19 → …
Project: Clinical Trial
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Early-onset Alzheimer
Masdeu, J. C., Faridar, A., Fujita, M., Nakawah, M. O. & Pascual, B.
9/28/18 → …
Project: Clinical Trial
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Biogen 251AD201
Masdeu, J. C., Faridar, A., Fujita, M. & Nakawah, M. O.
9/4/18 → …
Project: Clinical Trial
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ER 176 Inflammation PET in AD
Masdeu, J. C., Appel, S. H., Faridar, A., Fujita, M., Nakawah, M. O. & Pascual, B.
2/7/18 → …
Project: Clinical Trial
Research Output
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Discovery, Radiolabeling, and Evaluation of Subtype-Selective Inhibitors for Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Brain Phosphodiesterase-4D
Wakabayashi, Y., Telu, S., Dick, R. M., Fujita, M., Ooms, M., Morse, C. L., Liow, J. S., Hong, J. S., Gladding, R. L., Manly, L. S., Zoghbi, S. S., Mo, X., D'Amato, E. C., Sindac, J. A., Nugent, R. A., Marron, B. E., Gurney, M. E., Innis, R. B. & Pike, V. W., May 6 2020, In : ACS Chemical Neuroscience. 11, 9, p. 1311-1323 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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First-in-human evaluation of [11C]PS13, a novel PET radioligand, to quantify cyclooxygenase-1 in the brain
Kim, M. J., Lee, J. H., Juarez Anaya, F., Hong, J., Miller, W., Telu, S., Singh, P., Cortes, M. Y., Henry, K., Tye, G. L., Frankland, M. P., Montero Santamaria, J. A., Liow, J. S., Zoghbi, S. S., Fujita, M., Pike, V. W. & Innis, R. B., Dec 2020, In : European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. 47, 13, p. 3143-3151 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
1 Scopus citations -
PET Imaging of Phosphodiesterase-4 Identifies Affected Dysplastic Bone in McCune-Albright Syndrome, a Genetic Mosaic Disorder
Weidner, L. D., Wakabayashi, Y., Stolz, L. A., Collins, M. T., Guthrie, L., Victorino, M., Chung, J., Miller, W., Zoghbi, S. S., Pike, V. W., Fujita, M., Innis, R. B. & Boyce, A. M., Nov 1 2020, In : Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine. 61, 11, p. 1672-1677 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
1 Scopus citations -
PET measurement of cyclooxygenase-2 using a novel radioligand: Upregulation in primate neuroinflammation and first-in-human study
Shrestha, S., Kim, M. J., Eldridge, M., Lehmann, M. L., Frankland, M., Liow, J. S., Yu, Z. X., Cortes-Salva, M., Telu, S., Henter, I. D., Gallagher, E., Lee, J. H., Fredericks, J. M., Poffenberger, C., Tye, G., Ruiz-Perdomo, Y., Anaya, F. J., Montero Santamaria, J. A., Gladding, R. L., Zoghbi, S. S. & 4 others, , May 2 2020, In : Journal of Neuroinflammation. 17, 1, 140.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
3 Scopus citations -
[11C](R)-Rolipram positron emission tomography detects DISC1 inhibition of phosphodiesterase type 4 in live Disc1 locus-impaired mice
Ooms, M., Tsujikawa, T., Lohith, T. G., Mabins, S. N., Zoghbi, S. S., Sumitomo, A., Jaaro-Peled, H., Kimura, Y., Telu, S., Pike, V. W., Tomoda, T., Innis, R. B., Sawa, A. & Fujita, M., Jul 1 2019, In : Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. 39, 7, p. 1306-1313 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article