Krista Vandenborne is distinguished Professor and has over 20 years of research experience in imaging and spectroscopy of skeletal muscle, functional assessments and strength testing. Her initial training was as a physical therapist but she is internationally recognized for her work on the implementation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) to characterize skeletal muscle. Over the last fifteen years she has been leading the efforts worldwide to develop a strong translational research program dedicated to the development and validation of MR imaging biomarkers for muscular dystrophy. Dr. Vandenborne serves as the current Director of the ImagingNMD project, focused on the development and validation of MRI/MRS biomarkers in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy. The comprehensive natural history data set acquired by ImagingNMD is viewed as one of the field’s most valuable resources for clinical trial design and is utilized by academia, industry and governmental organizations modeling disease trajectory. Dr. Vandenborne also directs the clinical trial imaging network in support of Phase I-III clinical trials in multiple neuromuscular diseases, with participation from over 30 imaging facilities across the United states and Europe. Dr. Vandenborne also chairs a MR biomarker steering committee tasked with validating MR as a biomarker for use in clinical trials with the FDA, and obtaining regulatory endorsement.
