George A. Beller

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Primary Appointment

Professor Emeritus, Medicine- Cardiovascular Medicine

Research Interests

Radionuclide Imaging Agents for Cardiac Imaging

Research Description

Dr. Beller and his collaborators are engaged in the development and validation of radionuclide imaging agents for assessment of patients with suspected or known cardiovascular disease. They are focused on the noninvasive detection of myocardial ischemia with stress myocardial perfusion imaging for identifying high risk patients who would benefit from coronary revascularization. They have the ability to test new imaging agents in the experimental laboratory and take them to the clinical setting. Dr. Beller and his research collaborators are particularly interested in the role of imaging in diabetic patients and are determining whether vasodilator stress perfusion imaging with cardiac magnetic resonance technology is superior to SPECT perfusion imaging in identifying abnormal coronary blood flow reserve. Another area of interest is detecting myocardial viability in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction using radionuclide imaging techniques. In addition, the imaging of cardiac sympathetic nervous system activity with I-123-labeled MIBG in patients with heart failure to identify those most prone to cardiac death is a keen interest of the clinical imaging laboratory. Molecular imaging of vulnerable plaques presently focused in the basic laboratory will be applied to patient studies in the coming years.

Personal Statement

Dr. Beller and his collaborators are engaged in the development and validation of radionuclide imaging agents for assessment of patients with suspected or known cardiovascular disease. They are focused on the noninvasive detection of myocardial ischemia with stress myocardial perfusion imaging for identifying high risk patients who would benefit from coronary revascularization. They have the ability to test new imaging agents in the experimental laboratory and take them to the clinical setting. Dr. Beller and his research collaborators are particularly interested in the role of imaging in diabetic patients and are determining whether vasodilator stress perfusion imaging with cardiac magnetic resonance technology is superior to SPECT perfusion imaging in identifying abnormal coronary blood flow reserve. Another area of interest is detecting myocardial viability in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction using radionuclide imaging techniques. In addition, the imaging of cardiac sympathetic nervous system activity with I-123-labeled MIBG in patients with heart failure to identify those most prone to cardiac death is a keen interest of the clinical imaging laboratory. Molecular imaging of vulnerable plaques presently focused in the basic laboratory will be applied to patient studies in the coming years.

Selected Publications

Huffman MD, Perel P, Beller GA, Keightley L, Miranda JJ, Ralston J, Reddy KS, Wood DA, Labarthe DR, Yusuf S, World Heart Federation Emerging Leaders Program: An Innovative Capacity Building Program to Facilitate the 25 à 25 Goal., 2015; Global heart. () . PMID: 26014659

Beller GA, Ready to pass the baton., 2013; Journal of nuclear cardiology : official publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. 20(6) 958-9. PMID: 24150538

Beller GA, Bateman TM, Provisional use of myocardial perfusion imaging in patients undergoing exercise stress testing: a worthy concept fraught with challenges., 2013; Journal of nuclear cardiology : official publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. 20(5) 711-4. PMID: 23852718

Bourque JM, Patel CA, Ali MM, Perez M, Watson DD, Beller GA, Prevalence and predictors of ischemia and outcomes in outpatients with diabetes mellitus referred for single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging., 2013; Circulation. Cardiovascular imaging. 6(3) 466-77. PMID: 23547172 | PMCID: PMC3774120

Beller GA, Patient management after noninvasive cardiac imaging: a commentary on the reported results from SPARC., 2012; Journal of nuclear cardiology : official publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. 19(2) 182-4. PMID: 22407426

Janardhanan R, Beller GA, Radionuclide imaging in stage B heart failure., 2012; Heart failure clinics. 8(2) 191-206. PMID: 22405660

DeGuzman PB, Akosah KO, Simpson AG, Barbieri KE, Megginson GC, Goldberg RI, Beller GA, Sub-optimal achievement of guideline-derived lipid goals in management of diabetes patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, despite high use of evidence-based therapies., 2012; Diabetes & vascular disease research. 9(2) 138-45. PMID: 22234950

Bourque JM, Beller GA, Stress myocardial perfusion imaging for assessing prognosis: an update., 2011; JACC. Cardiovascular imaging. 4(12) 1305-19. PMID: 22172788

Broisat A, Ruiz M, Goodman NC, Hanrahan SM, Reutter BW, Brennan KM, Janabi M, Schaefer S, Watson DD, Beller GA, VanBrocklin HF, Glover DK, Myocardial uptake of 7'-(Z)-[(123)I]iodorotenone during vasodilator stress in dogs with critical coronary stenoses., 2011; Circulation. Cardiovascular imaging. 4(6) 685-92. PMID: 21917783 | PMCID: PMC3587960

Beller GA, Heede RC, SPECT imaging for detecting coronary artery disease and determining prognosis by noninvasive assessment of myocardial perfusion and myocardial viability., 2011; Journal of cardiovascular translational research. 4(4) 416-24. PMID: 21732226