Quarles Laboratory
C. Chad Quarles, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Areas of Research
- Brain and CNS Tumor
- Cancer Neuroscience
- Cancer Treatment-Induced Neurotoxicities
- Imaging
- Artificial Intelligence
- Computational Biology
- Tumor Heterogeneity
- Tumor Microenvironment
- Radiation Therapy
- Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairments
- Neuron-glia Interactions
Research in the Quarles Lab aims to develop and translate physiological, microstructural and metabolic neuroimaging technologies to improve the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of patients with brain tumors and neurological disorders. Our team focuses on developing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging biomarkers that provide deeper insights into tumor pathophysiology, treatment response and disease progression while also ensuring accurate and reproducible imaging acquisition and analysis methods. The lab¡¯s research spans computational imaging science, MRI pulse sequence development, PET radiotracer development, preclinical validation and application, clinical translation and trials, image-guided therapeutics, quantitative image analysis and data science.
Key Research Goals
- Develop novel neuroimaging biomarkers to interrogate tumor physiological and cellular heterogeneity, metabolism and immune microenvironment for more precise tumor profiling and treatment guidance
- Establish early and predictive imaging biomarkers of tumor progression, treatment resistance and therapy response
- Advance the application of quantitative imaging-based biomarkers in clinical practice and multi-site trials through rigorous validation of imaging biomarkers, reproducible imaging methodologies and establishing standardized software benchmarks for neuroimaging-based biomarkers
- Improve patient centered imaging technologies to increase clinical confidence, optimize scan efficiency and enhance clinical accuracy
- Expand imaging in cancer neuroscience and neurohealth, particularly in understanding the interplay between neural networks and tumor invasion and cancer and therapy related cognitive dysfunction
About Dr. Quarles
Dr. C. Chad Quarles is a Professor of Cancer Systems Imaging, Neuroradiology and Neurooncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. He is also the Director of the institutional Neuroimaging Innovations to Transform Cancer Care (NeuroCare) Program and a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Scholar in Cancer Research.
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Funding for the Quarles Lab includes:
5R01CA213158 (Quarles)
NIH/NCI
July 3, 2017 ¨C June 30, 2027
Establishing the Validity of Brain Tumor Perfusion Imaging
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cancer Systems Imaging
5R01CA264992 (Quarles, Boxerman, Hu, Schmainda)
NIH/NCI
March 1, 2022 ¨C February 28, 2028
Establishing the clinical utility of a consensus DSC-MRI protocol
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cancer Systems Imaging
5R01CA260003 (Quarles, Yankeelov)
NIH/NCI
September 19, 2022 ¨C August 31, 2028
Imaging-based tumor forecasting to predict brain tumor progression and response to therapy
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cancer Systems Imaging
4UH3CA247606 (Stokes, Quarles)
NIH/NCI
July 1, 2024 ¨C June 30, 2027
Multi-parametric Perfusion MRI for Therapy Response Assessment in Brain Cancer
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cancer Systems Imaging
5R01CA264934 (Kodibagkar, Quarles)
NIH/NCI
July 5, 2021 ¨C June 30, 2027
One-shot morphologic, hemodynamic, and metabolic MR imaging of brain tumors
Arizona State University
CPRIT Recruitment ¨C Established Investigator