Dirk Mayer

Dirk Mayer is a Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University of Maryland and serves as the Director of Metabolic Imaging. He is a member of the Experimental Therapeutics Program at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. His work bridges preclinical and clinical research, focusing on MRI-based imaging techniques for metabolic processes in cancer, liver disease, and brain disorders.

• Education: University of Bonn (Diplom in Physics), University of Bremen (Dr. rer. nat.), Stanford University (Postdoctoral Researcher)

Mayer’s research leverages dynamic nuclear polarization to enhance MR signals of 13C-labeled compounds, enabling noninvasive metabolic imaging. His team develops acquisition/reconstruction techniques, kinetic models, and novel probes for applications in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, traumatic brain injury, glioblastoma, and prostate cancer. Google Scholar highlights recent work on hyperpolarized pyruvate multi-center trials, ferret TBI models, and bladder cancer metabolism.

Grants include NIDDK R01 DK106395, NCI R21 CA202694, and NIBIB R21 CA213020, totaling over $2.7M. Scientific contributions span 44 publications, with a focus on hyperpolarized 13C MRI for mitochondrial function, inflammatory disease, and cancer response monitoring.

Awards and Grants:

• R01 DK106395 (NIDDK): Metabolic Imaging of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ($1,922,053)
• R21 CA202694 (NCI): Hyperpolarized 5-Aminolevulinic Acid for Glioblastoma ($369,325)
• R21 CA213020 (NIBIB): Hyperpolarized 13C MRI for Antibody-Targeted Imaging ($424,875)
• R21 NS096575 (ICTR ATIP): Traumatic Brain Injury Metabolism ($35,000)

His lab includes Dina Shenkar, PhD (Staff Scientist), Maninder Singh, PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow), Minjie Zhu (Graduate Student Researcher), and Xin Lu, MS (Research Technician). Research keywords include magnetic resonance imaging, metabolism, cancer, liver disease, and traumatic brain injury.