Benjamin M Ellingson

Benjamin M. Ellingson is Professor of Radiological Sciences, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. He directs the Brain Tumor Imaging Laboratory (BTIL) and co-directs the Center for Computer Vision and Imaging Biomarkers. His research focuses on developing advanced MRI/PET biomarkers for brain tumor diagnosis, characterization, and therapeutic response assessment. Dr. Ellingson has co-authored over 250 peer-reviewed articles and leads multiple NIH/DoD grants validating imaging in multicenter trials.

Education:

• BS Biomedical Engineering, Milwaukee School of Engineering (2003)
• MS Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University (2005)
• PhD Functional Imaging - Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University & Medical College of Wisconsin (2008)
• Fellowship in Radiology/MRI Physics, Medical College of Wisconsin (2010)

His research integrates quantitative imaging, artificial intelligence, and metabolic profiling to address challenges in neuro-oncology. Key interests include:

• Development of sodium/pH-weighted MRI for tumor acidosis mapping
• AI-driven super-resolution and artifact reduction techniques
• Diffusion/perfusion phenotyping for immunotherapy response prediction
• Multimodal biomarker validation in clinical trials

Recent publications demonstrate a dominant focus on glioma imaging innovations, particularly:

• Advanced diffusion/perfusion MRI techniques for treatment response assessment
• Integration of AI for image synthesis and artifact correction
• Novel metabolic imaging approaches targeting glycolysis and pH dynamics
• Standardization of response criteria (RANO) for clinical trials

Awards:

• ISMRM Young Investigator Award (2010)
• ACRIN Young Investigator Award (2012)
• Johnny Mercer Foundation Award (2013)
• SNO Excellence in Neuroimaging (2019)

He leads major grants including:

• DoD CDMRP projects targeting EGFR signaling and multinuclear MRI (2021-2028)
• NIH R01 grants for MR-PET imaging of glioblastoma glycolysis (2023-2028)
• UCLA Brain Tumor SPORE Neuro-Imaging Core (2017-2027)

His laboratory develops imaging protocols for national/international clinical trials and maintains industry partnerships for biomarker implementation.