Ziying Yin, Ph.D.

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SUMMARY

Ziying Yin, Ph.D., is passionate about bringing advanced magnetic resonance-based imaging technologies to health care. Her research focuses on using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to gain insight into the mechanical properties of biological tissues such as tissue adherence, stiffness and viscosity.

Focus areas

• Slip interface imaging. Noninvasive imaging using an MRE-based technology known as slip interface imaging (SII), can determine the degree of adherence between focal lesions and their surrounding background.
• Meningioma. Research on this condition focuses on using MRE to improve surgical outcomes for brain tumors. Specifically, the goal is to determine if there is a surgically safe plane of dissection between the tumor and adjacent brain tissues.
• Repetitive head impacts (RHIs) in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dr. Yin works to develop advanced MRE technology to understand and assess the effects of subconcussive RHIs on the human head. Although such impacts may not be visible with conventional imaging techniques, increasing evidence indicates that RHIs can lead to significant brain injuries and increase the risk of concussion.
• Myofascial pain syndrome.Using MRE in myofascial pain syndrome aims to investigate the biomechanics of myofascial tissue, including mobility, stiffness and viscosity, and how changes in these structures contribute to myofascial pain syndrome.

Significance to patient care

Dr. Yin's research aims to establish new quantitative biomarkers and improve treatment efficacy in meningioma, brain injury and myofascial pain syndrome. Her findings using MRE to evaluate tumor adhesion and invasion in meningioma can: aid neurosurgeons in surgical planning; reduce the risk of postoperative complications such as infection, infarction and deep venous thrombosis; and improve the likelihood of complete tumor resection. Her work to quantitatively characterize the viscoelastic properties of myofascial tissue and adhesion at interfaces could significantly aid the assessment of therapeutic modalities and help address the issue of opioid overuse in myofascial pain syndrome, which is a significant concern in the treatment of this condition. Additional research focuses on developing novel imaging biomarkers to help clinicians identify individuals with brain injuries induced by RHIs, which can be challenging using current diagnostic methods because they are often asymptomatic.

Professional highlights

• Junior fellow, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2020.
• Magna Cum Laude Merit Award in Education Exhibit, Radiological Society of North America, 2019.