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Prof. Dr. Carsten Lukas

Institute of Neuroradiology
Faculty of Medicine
Universitätsklinikum St. Josef-Hospital Bochum
Gudrunstr. 56
44791 Bochum

Phone: +49 (0)234 509-3301
Email: carsten.lukas@ruhr-uni-bochum.de


Homepage
orcid.org/0000-0002-8562-9697
Prof. Dr. Carsten Lukas
Prof. Dr. Carsten Lukas
Research Interests

The research focus of NiRiMS is on quantitative neuroimaging analyses of neuroinflammatory processes and neurodegeneration aspects in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as well as in other diseases such as M. Huntington and spinocerebellar ataxia. The Research Group is embedded in an excellent interdisciplinary scientific environment consisting of members of the Institute of Neuroradiology and of the Department of Neurology (St. Josef Hospital) and is led by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Carsten Lukas. 

NiRiMS maintain close cooperation’s with national and international institutions in field of Multiple Sclerosis and serves as a steering member of the MRI Alliance for the German Kompetenznetz Multiple Sklerose (KKNMS) formerly funded by the BMBF. NiRiMS enjoys high international reputations in the field of spinal cord atrophy research in MS and has developed and validated several MRI analyses tools for MS research. 
Current research topics focus on the identification of prognostic MRI markers in neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions using advanced quantitative microstructural imaging of the brain and spinal cord. Specifically, we study the interaction between brain and spinal cord pathology and how up-stream pathology (brain) might affect spinal cord pathology by means of remote effects.
Another major focus is set on myelin imaging using synthetic MR imaging in combination with advanced imaging analytics such as Radiomics and artificial intelligence (AI). A further aspect of our research is continuously focused on the translational role of advanced neuroimaging bridging the gap between human experimental studies and clinical practice. Over the past years we have set up several guidelines for MR standardization in diagnosis and treatment monitoring especially in MS and developed practicable MR analyses tools for atrophy quantification.

Lukas, C., Bellenberg, B., Prados, F., Valsasina, P., Parmar, K., Brouwer, I., Pareto, D., Rovira, À., Sastre-Garriga, J., Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott, C. A. M., Kappos, L., Rocca, M. A., Filippi, M., Yiannakas, M., Barkhof, F., & Vrenken, H. (2021). Quantification of Cervical Cord Cross-Sectional Area: Which Acquisition, Vertebra Level, and Analysis Software? A Multicenter Repeatability Study on a Traveling Healthy Volunteer. Frontiers in Neurology, 12, 693333. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.693333

Duscha, A., Gisevius, B., Hirschberg, S., Yissachar, N., Stangl, G. I., Eilers, E., Bader, V., Haase, S., Berg, J., David, C., Schneider, R., Troisi, R., Zent, D., Hegelmaier, T., Dokalis, N., Gerstein, S., Del Mare-Roumani, S., Amidror, S., Staszewski, O., Lukas, C., . . . Hartung, H. (2020). Propionic Acid Shapes the Multiple Sclerosis Disease Course by an Immunomodulatory Mechanism. Cell, 180(6), 1067-1080.e16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.035

Ciccarelli, O., Cohen, J. A., Lukas, C., Reingold, S. C., & Weinshenker, B. G. (2019). Spinal cord involvement in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. The Lancet. Neurology, 18(2), 185–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30460-5

Rocca, M. A., Valsasina, P., Meani, A., Gobbi, C., Zecca, C., Rovira, À., Montalban, X., Kearney, H., Ciccarelli, O., Matthews, L., Palace, J., Gallo, A., Bisecco, A., Gass, A., Eisele, P., Lukas, C., Bellenberg, B., Barkhof, F., Vrenken, H., . . . Filippi, M. (2019). Clinically relevant cranio-caudal patterns of cervical cord atrophy evolution in MS. Neurology, 93(20), e1852-e1866. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000008466

Hagström, I. T., Schneider, R., Bellenberg, B., Salmen, A., Weiler, F., Köster, O., Gold, R., & Lukas, C. (2017). Relevance of early cervical cord volume loss in the disease evolution of clinically isolated syndrome and early multiple sclerosis: A 2-year follow-up study. Journal of Neurology, 264(7), 1402–1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-017-8537-5

Wilhelms, W., Bellenberg, B., Köster, O., Weiler, F., Hoffmann, R., Gold, R., Saft, C., & Lukas, C. (2017). Progressive spinal cord atrophy in manifest and premanifest Huntington's disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 88(7), 614–616. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2016-315000

Lukas, C., Knol, D. L., Sombekke, M. H., Bellenberg, B., Hahn, H. K., Popescu, V., Weier, K., Radue, E. W., Gass, A., Kappos, L., Naegelin, Y., Uitdehaag, B. M. J., Geurts, J. J. G., Barkhof, F., & Vrenken, H. (2015). Cervical spinal cord volume loss is related to clinical disability progression in multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 86(4), 410–418. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2014-308021

Lukas, C., Sombekke, M. H., Bellenberg, B., Hahn, H. K., Popescu, V., Bendfeldt, K., Radue, E. W., Gass, A., Borgwardt, S. J., Kappos, L., Naegelin, Y., Knol, D. L., Polman, C. H., Geurts, J. J. G., Barkhof, F., & Vrenken, H. (2013). Relevance of Spinal Cord Abnormalities to Clinical Disability in Multiple Sclerosis: MR Imaging Findings in a Large Cohort of Patients. Radiology, 269(2), 542–552. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.13122566