Video from ISMRM: Shintaro Ichikawa on MRI liver biomarkers

At the ISMRM conference, AuntMinnie spoke to Shintaro Ichikawa, PhD, of Hamamatsu University School of Medicine in Yamanashi, Japan. On May 13, Ichikawa will deliver the meeting's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) New Horizons lecture, titled "Quantitative MRI Biomarkers for Chronic Liver Disease."

In his chat with AuntMinnie, Ichikawa described the benefits of MRI elastography, a technique used to evaluate tissue stiffness -- which can serve as a biomarker for such conditions as liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Ichikawa also researches interdose interval fraction (IDIF), an MRI biomarker that can assess liver fat content -- particularly as it relates to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). 

Finally, Ichikawa shared what has drawn him to liver research: "The liver is the biggest internal organ, and we can't live without it," he said.

Check out AuntMinnie’s full coverage of ISMRM 2025 here.