Gastrointestinal (GI) MRI
 

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Luca Marciani

Professor of Gastrointestinal Imaging, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

I graduated in Physics at the University of Genoa in Italy. I then worked in Milan and London before joining the University of Nottingham. I was awarded my PhD in Physics at the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, where I worked on a series of multi-disciplinary research contracts. Thanks to a Wellcome Trust VIP Fellowship and a RCUK Academic Fellowship I then moved to the School of Medicine, where I am now Professor in Gastrointestinal Imaging and Deputy Director of Translational Medical Sciences.

I specialise in applied health research studying the physiopathology of human gastrointestinal function using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods in combination with other physiological and behavioural techniques. I have a particular interest in studying how the human gut responds to disease and drugs, and in imaging inside the body foods, beverages, dosage forms and formulations, intestinal fluid distribution. I develop medical devices and novel MRI tests for GI motility and transit. I work within a team that has developed a unique cross-disciplinary collaboration between gastroenterologists, surgeons, physiologists, MRI physicists, pharmaceutical scientists, food scientists and industrial collaborators from the food and pharmaceutical industry in the UK and abroad.

I have published 154 research papers and 15 book chapters, I have been principal investigator on academic and commercial research grants worth £5.7 million (plus £10.7 million as co-Investigator).

I serve on the Nottingham NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Gastrointestinal & Liver theme Strategy Board and on the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre Science Committee. I chair the Gastrointestinal MRI Research Group. I was awarded the RinR/Wellcome/RCUK Communicator's Award for my science outreach work with secondary school pupils and the Lord Dearing Award in recognition of my teaching . I am an NIHR Mentor and member of the NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Funding Committee B.

Teaching Summary

I currently teach a faculty-wide and MRC DTP post-graduate course on Biomedical Imaging in Research [MHSBIR]. I regularly supervise and examine BMedSci students on their 3rd year research project and… read more

Research Summary

I lead the NIHR-funded MAGIC project developing a new MRI medical device to measure gastrointestinal transit in constipation. I am also interested in using MRI to study the in vivo fluid and motility… read more

Selected Publications

I currently teach a faculty-wide and MRC DTP post-graduate course on Biomedical Imaging in Research [MHSBIR]. I regularly supervise and examine BMedSci students on their 3rd year research project and dissertation [A13HYP] and occasionally run ad-hoc research tutorials for them. I supervise post-graduate research students (22 so far) and I act as internal and external (nationally and internationally) PhD examiner.

I completed my full Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) in 2013 and became Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA) in 2019. I received the Lord Dearing Award for Teaching and Learning in 2023.

In the past I also taught 'Food imaging in the body' on the undergraduate Food and Physiology course [BIOS 1047] and on the undergraduate Food and Health [D211F1] module. Further back I have supervised 4th year Physics MSci research projects, I have been Personal Academic Tutor for 1st year Physics undergraduates and I also taught physics laboratories to a range of year groups in a high school.

Current Research

I lead the NIHR-funded MAGIC project developing a new MRI medical device to measure gastrointestinal transit in constipation. I am also interested in using MRI to study the in vivo fluid and motility environment of the undisturbed gut, with a view to improve physiological relevance of in vitro testing methods and in silico transport analyses for prediction of bioperformance of oral dosage forms. I also lead postgraduate research projects looking at immediate release drug delivery, gut morphology in health and constipation and symptoms in cystic fibrosis.

I am also involved in a range of projects within the Nottingham GI MRI Research Group. These include studying the gastrointestinal mode of action of drugs and dietary interventions.

I integrate patient and public involvement and engagement in all my research.

GI_MRI, Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre

The University of Nottingham
School of Medicine
Nottingham, NG7 2UH


email:GI_MRI@nottingham.ac.uk