Profile photo Alberto De Luca

Alberto De Luca

Assistant Professor

Strategic program(s):

Biography

Alberto De Luca is an assistant professor at the Image Sciences Institute (ISI), Division Imaging & Oncology. Alberto studied at the University of Padova, Italy, where he received a BSc in Biomedical Engineering (2011), an MSc in Bioengineering (2013) and a Ph.D. degree (2017) defending a thesis entitled "Beyond DTI: non-Gaussian diffusion in the brain and skeletal muscle".

Alberto's research focuses on diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods, and their translation to clinical research, especially in the context of neurological diseases such as small vessel disease (in close collaboration with the Neurology Department - VCI Group), and cancer. Current key research interests are:

  • Methods to quantify fiber specific properties in grey and white matter and accurately study brain connectivity;
  • Harmonization of diffusion MRI data to enable large multi-center studies;
  • Robust quantification of physiological properties (such as perfusion and free water) with inverse methods;
  • Prediction of response to treatment in rare pediatric tumours (in collaboration with the Prinses Maxima Centrum, Utrecht) and in brain tumours;
  • Prediction of clinical outcomes (such as cognitive decline) in patients at risk of (vascular) dementia machine learning;

Alberto has previously received funding from the Italian Ministry of Health, the Kika Foundation and Hanarth Fonds, and has received the "Seal of Excellence" from the European Commission. 

Research groups

Image sciences institute

Research aim

Our aim is to develop and evaluate medical image analysis and acquisition methods that help to answer research questions relevant to the strategic research programs, and that will benefit clinical imaging and image-guided interventions.
Go to group

Translational neuroimaging group

Research aim

To develop and apply advanced MRI methods for (pre)clinical research on neuronal and cerebrovascular biology in order to: 1) unravel critical aspects of brain impairment and recovery 2) advance brain treatments (focus: cerebrovascular diseases).
Go to group

Recent publications

Detectability and accuracy of computational measurements of in-silico and physical representations of enlarged perivascular spaces from magnetic resonance images Roberto Duarte Coello, Maria Del C Valdés Hernández, Jaco J M Zwanenburg, Moniek van der Velden, Hugo J Kuijf, Alberto De Luca, José Bernal Moyano, Lucia Ballerini, Francesca M Chappell, Rosalind Brown, Geert Jan Biessels, Joanna M Wardlaw
Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2024, vol. 403
Enhancing Cognitive Performance Prediction through White Matter Hyperintensity Connectivity Assessment Marvin Petersen, Mirthe Coenen, Charles DeCarli, Alberto De Luca, Ewoud van der Lelij, Frederik Barkhof, Thomas Benke, Christopher P L H Chen, Peter Dal-Bianco, Anna Dewenter, Marco Duering, Christian Enzinger, Michael Ewers, Lieza G Exalto, Evan F Fletcher, Nicolai Franzmeier, Saima Hilal, Edith Hofer, Huiberdina L Koek, Andrea B Maier, Pauline M Maillard, Cheryl R McCreary, Janne M Papma, Yolande A L Pijnenburg, Reinhold Schmidt, Eric E Smith, Rebecca M E Steketee, Esther van den Berg, Wiesje M van der Flier, Vikram Venkatraghavan, Narayanaswamy Venketasubramanian, Meike W Vernooij, Frank J Wolters, Xin Xu, Andreas Horn, Kaustubh R Patil, Simon B Eickhoff, Götz Thomalla, J Matthijs Biesbroek, Geert Jan Biessels, Bastian Cheng,
2024
Improving advanced intraoperative MRI methods during pediatric neurosurgery Pien E.J. Jellema, Lilli M. Mannsdörfer, Fredy Visser, Alberto De Luca, Cynthia L.E. Smit, Eelco W. Hoving, Kirsten M. van Baarsen, Thomas Lindner, Henk Jan M.M. Mutsaerts, Jan Willem Dankbaar, Maarten H. Lequin, Jannie P. Wijnen
NMR in Biomedicine, 2024, vol. 37
Unraveling the relations between post-traumatic stress symptoms, neurocognitive functioning, and limbic white matter in pediatric brain tumor patients Anne E M Leenders, Eva Kremer-Hooft van Huijsduijnen, Bruno Robalo, Rosa van Male, Alberto De Luca, Rachèl Kemps, Eelco Hoving, Maarten H Lequin, Martha A Grootenhuis, Marita Partanen
Neuro-oncology advances, 2024, vol. 6
A framework for optimizing the acquisition protocol multishell diffusion-weighted imaging for multimodel assessment Tommaso Ciceri, Alberto De Luca, Nivedita Agarwal, Filippo Arrigoni, Denis Peruzzo
NMR in Biomedicine, 2024, vol. 37
Dynamic changes in perivascular space morphology predict signs of spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome in bed rest Sutton B. Richmond, Rachael D. Seidler, Jeffrey J. Iliff, Daniel L. Schwartz, Madison Luther, Lisa C. Silbert, Scott J. Wood, Jacob J. Bloomberg, Edwin Mulder, Jessica K. Lee, Alberto De Luca, Juan Piantino
npj Microgravity, 2024, vol. 10

Fellowships & Awards

2024: ERC Starting Grant - BRACE

External positions

Member - Coordinating relations with industry and involved in funding opportunities - International Society for Tractography

Guest lecturer - I deliver a class about brain networks - Hogeschool Utrecht

Research collaboration on Frontotemporal dementia - Collaboration, research advisor, PhD supervision - Erasmus MC

Project collaboration on research in small vessel disease - Collaboration, research advisor, PhD supervision - University of Edinburgh

Member - Educational lectures, moderation of talks, mentoring of new members - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (

Collaboration on research about rare pediatric tumors - Collaboration, research advisor, PhD supervision - Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology