DeKemp, Robert

Robert deKemp is Head Imaging Physicist in Cardiac Imaging at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. He is also Associate Professor of Medicine, Engineering and Physics and Medical Scientist in the Faculty of Medicine and member of the Faculty of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies at the University of Ottawa. In addition, deKemp is Adjunct Professor of Physics and member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at Carleton University.

Background

DeKemp obtained his BASc in Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. Following work in the remote sensing and medical imaging industry, he completed an MSc in medical physics and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering in the E. S. Garnett Department of Nuclear Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He moved to Ottawa in 1994 to help establish the National Cardiac PET Centre at the Heart Institute.

DeKemp is Canada's leading expert in the physics of cardiac PET imaging. He pioneered the application of Rb-82 PET perfusion imaging in Canada, including automated Rb-82 infusion systems in routine use at the Heart Institute since 1997.

He is past Director of the Ottawa Medical Physics Institute at Carleton University and Editorial Board member of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology.

Research and clinical interests

DeKemp's interest is in medical imaging physics and engineering, including Positron Emission Tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), X-ray computed tomography (CT), X-ray angiography, and multimodality image fusion.

He is developing innovative tracer kinetic and statistical parametric methods for serial imaging of PET blood flow and metabolism, and 3-D fusion imaging of coronary angiography and myocardial perfusion. His pioneering research in singles transmission for 3-D PET has greatly improved PET attenuation correction and is now a commercial standard for 3-D PET in the world.

Publications

LATEST PUBLICATIONS

  • Fallavollita JA, Banas MD, Suzuki G, deKemp RA, Sajjad M, Haka MS, Canty JM. 11C-meta-hydroxyephedrine defects persist despite functional improvement in hibernating myocardium. J Nucl Med 2009 (in press).
  • Ziadi M, deKemp R, Beanlands R. Quantification of myocardial perfusion: what will it take to make it prime time? Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports 2009 (in press).
  • D’Egidio G, Nichol G, Williams K, Guo A, Garrard L, deKemp R, Ruddy TD, DaSilva J, Humen D, Gulenchyn K, Freeman M, Racine N, Benard F, Hendry P, Beanlands R. Identification of high risk patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy: increasing benefit from revascularization is associated with increasing amounts of hibernating myocardium. A substudy of the PARR 2 trial. JACC Imaging 2009 (in press).
  • Wells RG, deKemp RA, Beanlands RSB. “Positron Emission Tomography,” in Nuclear Cardiology Technical Applications, Heller, Mann, Hendel (eds.), 2008 (in press).
  • Ziadi M, deKemp R, Beanlands R. “Cardiac PET Imaging,” in Nuclear Cardiology, Zaret and Beller (eds.), 2008 (in press).

PAPERS IN REFEREED JOURNALS

  • D.C.Archer,C.L.Coblentz,R.A.deKemp,C.Nahmias,G.Norman, Automated In-Vivo Quantification of Emphysema. Radiology 1993; 18:835-838.
  • R.deKemp, C.Nahmias. Attenuation Correction in PET using Single Photon Transmission Measurement. Medical Physics 1994; 21:771-778.
  • R.A.deKemp, C.Nahmias. Automated Determination of the Myocardial Long Axis in Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography. Physiol. Meas. 1996; 17:95-108.
  • R.S.B. Beanlands, T.D.Ruddy, E.Harmsen, R.A.deKemp, J.Veinot, N.G. Hartman. Myocardial kinetics of technetium-99m teboroxime in the presence of postischemic injury, necrosis and low flow reperfusion. J.Am.Coll.Cardiol. 1996;28:487-494.
  • C.C.Watson, D.Newport, M.E.Casey, R.A.deKemp, R.S.Beanlands, Evaluation of Simulation-Based Scatter Correction for 3-D PET Cardiac Imaging. IEEE Trans.Nucl.Sci 1997;44:90-97.
  • R.S.B.Beanlands, R.A.deKemp, A.Scheffel, C.Nahmias, E.S.Garnett, G.Coates, E.Fallen. Can N-13-ammonia kinetic modeling define myocardial viability independent of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose? J.Am Coll.Cardiol. 1997;29(3):537-543.
  • R.S.B.Beanlands, R.A.deKemp, S.Smith, H.Johansen, T.D.Ruddy. F-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET Imaging AIters Clinical Decision Making in Patients with Impaired Ventricular Function. Am.J.Cardiol. 1997;79:1092-1095.
  • Beanlands RSB, Hendry PJ, Masters RG, deKemp RA, Woodend K, Ruddy TD. Delay in revascularization is associated with increased mortality rate in patients with severe LV dysfunction and viable myocardium on 18FDG PET imaging. Circulation 1998;98:II51-56.
  • Alvarez-Diez TM, deKemp R, Beanlands R, Vincent J. Manufacture of strontium-82/rubidium-82 generators and quality control of rubidium-82 chloride for myocardial perfusion imaging in patients using positron emission tomography. Appl.Radiat.Isot. 1999;50:1015-1023.
  • Ruddy TD, deKemp RA, Beanlands RSB. (Review) Evaluation of Myocardial Perfusion and Metabolism with Positron Emission Tomography. CMAJ 1999;161:1131.
  • Abramson BL, Ruddy TD, deKemp RA, Laramee L, Marquis JF, Aubrey B, Aung M, Beanlands RS. Stress FDG PET as a new approach to the diagnosis of coronary disease in women. J.Nucl.Cardiol. 2000;7:205-212.
  • deKemp RA, Ruddy TD, Hewitt T, Dalipaj MM, Aung MT, Beanlands RSB. Detection of Serial Changes in Absolute Myocardial Perfusion with 82Rb PET. J.Nucl.Med. 2000;41:1426-35.
  • Beanlands R, Nahmias C, Gordon E, Coates G, deKemp R, Firnau G,Fallen E. The effects of beta-blockade on oxidative metabolism and the metabolic cost of ventricular work in patients with LV dysfunction. A double-blind placebo-controlled PET study. Circulation 2000;102:2070-75.
  • Scott NS, Le May M, Ruddy TD, deKemp R, Beanlands RS. Primary stent implantation for acute MI achieves greater myocardial perfusion measured by Rb-82 PET than rt-PA. Am.J.Cardiol. 2001;88:886-889.
  • Vitale G, deKemp R, Ruddy TD, Beanlands RS. Myocardial glucose utilization and the optimization of F-18-FDG PET imaging in patients with NIDDM, CAD and LV dysfunction. J.Nucl.Med 2001;42:1730-36.
  • deKemp R, Lecomte R. (Review) Positron Emission Tomography for Molecular Imaging in Heart Disease. Physics in Canada 2002;58(2):103-107.
  • Beanlands RSB, Nichol G, deKemp R, Ruddy TD, Iwanochko et al. PET and recovery following revascularization (PARR-1): The importance of scar and the development of a prediction rule for the degree of recovery of LV function. J.Am.Coll.Cardiol. 2002;40(10):1735-43.
  • Ukkonen H, Beanlands RS, Burwash IG, de Kemp RA, Nahmias C, Fallen E, Hill MR, Tang AS, Effect of cardiac resynchronization on myocardial efficiency and regional oxidative metabolism. Circulation 2003;107(1):28-31,
  • and Ukkonen H, Beanlands RSB, Burwash I, deKemp RA, Nahmias C, Fallen E, Hill MRS, Tang ASL. Cardiac resynchronization and myocardial oxidative metabolism – Response to Editorial. Circulation 2003;107:220e.
  • Saab, deKemp RA, Ukkonen, Ruddy TD, Germano G, Beanlands RSB. Gated 18-FDG PET: Determination of global and regional LV function and myocardial tissue characterization. J.Nucl.Cardiol. 2003;10:297-303.
  • Beauchesne L, deKemp RA, Chan KL, Burwash IG. Temporal variations in effective orifice area during ejection in patients with valvular aortic stenosis. J.Am.Soc.Echocardiogr. 2003;16(9):958-964.
  • Beanlands R, Nichol G, Ruddy TD, deKemp RA, Hendry P, Humen D, Racine N, Ross H, Benard F, Coates G, Iwanochko R, Fallen E, Wells G, and the PARR-2 Investigators. Design and Rationale of a Clinical Trial to Evaluate Outcome and Cost-Effectiveness of an FDG PET-Guided Approach to Management of Patients with Coronary Disease and Severe LV Dysfunction. (PARR Phase 2). Controlled Clinical Trials 2003; 24:776-794.
  • Wassenaar R, Beanlands RSB, deKemp RA. Phantom Studies Investigating Extravascular Density Imaging for Partial Volume Correction of 3D PET 18FDG Studies. IEEE Trans.Nucl.Sci. 2004;51:68-71.
  • Epstein N, Benelfassi A, Beanlands R, deKemp R. A rubidium-82 infusion system for quantitative perfusion imaging with 3D PET. Appl.Radiat.Isot. 2004;60:921-27.
  • Seth R, deKemp RA, Ruddy TD, Kitsikis A, Hart R, Beauschene L, Williams K , Davies RA, Labinaz M, Beanlands RSB. Potential utility of perfusion quantification using rubidium-82 PET in patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease measured using rubidium-82 PET. J.Nucl.Cardiol. 2004;11:440-449.
  • Westerman E, Aubrey B, Gauthier D, Aung M, deKemp RA, Ruddy TD, Davies RA, Beanlands RSB. Positron Emission Tomography: A study of PET test-related anxiety. J Cardiovasc Nursing 2004;14:42-48.
  • Ananthasubramaniam K, Chow BJW, deKemp RA, Davies RA, Ruddy TD, Beanlands RSB. Does Electrocardiographic Q Wave Burden Predict the Extent of Scar or Hibernating Myocardium as Quantified by Positron Emission Tomography? Can J Cardiol 2005;21(1):51-56.
  • Yoshinaga K, Chow B, deKemp RA, Thorn S, Davies R, Ruddy T, DaSilva J, Beanlands R. Application of Cardiac Molecular Imaging Using PET in Evaluation of Drug and Therapeutics for Cardiovascular Disorders. Curr Pharm Design. 2005;11(7):903-32. Review.
  • Mielniczuk L., deKemp R, Dennie C, Yoshinaga K, Burwash I, Benard F, Haddad H, Beanlands DS, Beanlands RSB. FDG PET in the Diagnosis and Management of a Patient with Aortitis with Pulmonary Involvement. Circulation 2005;111(22):e375-6.
  • Chow BJW, Ruddy TD, Ananthasubramiam K, deKemp RA, Dalipaj M, Beanlands RSB. Comparison of Treadmill Exercise Versus Dipyridamole Stress with 82Rb PET Myocardial Perfusion Imaging. J.Am.Coll.Cardiol. 2005;45(8):1227-34.
  • Ling M, Ukkonen H, Ruddy T, de Kemp R, Duchesne L, Higginson L, Williams KP, McPherson R, Beanlands R. Early Improvement in Myocardial Perfusion and Flow-Mediated Dilatation with Simvastatin in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease. Am Heart J. 2005 Jun;149(6):1137
  • Chow BJ, Wong JW, Yoshinaga K, Ruddy TD, Williams K, deKemp RA, DaSilva J, Beanlands RS. Prognostic significance of dipyridamole-induced ST depression in patients with normal 82Rb PET myocardial perfusion imaging. J Nucl Med. 2005;46(7):1095-101.
  • Luisi AJ Jr, Suzuki G, dekemp R, Haka MS, Toorongian SA, Canty JM Jr, Fallavollita JA. Regional 11C-Hydroxyephedrine Retention in Hibernating Myocardium: Chronic Inhomogeneity of Sympathetic Innervation in the Absence of Infarction. J Nucl Med. 2005;46(8):1368-74.
  • Wassenaar R, deKemp RA. A Novel Method for Detector Quality Assurance on the ECAT ART Partial-Ring PET scanner. IEEE Trans.Nucl.Sci 2006;53(1):108-112.
  • Wassenaar R, deKemp RA. Characterization of PET Partial Volume Corrections for Variable Myocardial Wall Thicknesses. IEEE Trans.Nucl.Sci 2006;53(1):175-180.
  • Sprague K, Drangova M, Lehmann G, Slomka P, Levine D, Chow B, deKemp RA. Coronary x-ray angiographic reconstruction and image orientation. Medical Physics 2006;33(3):707-718.
  • Fallavollita JA, Luisi AJ Jr, Michalek SM, Valverde AM, deKemp RA, Haka MS,
  • Hutson AD, Canty JM Jr. Prediction of Arrhythmic Events with Positron Emission Tomography: PAREPET study design and methods. Contemp Clin Trials. 2006 Apr 27;
  • Yoshinaga K, Beanlands RS, deKemp RA, Lortie M, Morin J, Aung M, McKelvie R, Davies RF. Effect of Exercise Training on Myocardial Blood Flow in Patients with stable Coronary Artery Disease. Am Heart J 2006 151(6):1324-28.
  • Yoshinaga K, Chow BJW, deKemp RA, Williams K, Garrard L, Szeto ALT, Aung M, Davies RA, Ruddy TD, Beanlands R. What is the prognostic value with rubidium 82 perfusion positron emission tomography imaging? J Am Coll Cardiol 2006;48(5):1029 39.
  • Chow B, Beanlands R, Lee A, DaSilva J, deKemp R, Alkahatani A, Ruddy T. Treadmill exercise produces larger perfusion defects than dipyridamole stress with N-13 Ammonia PET. J Am Coll Cardiol 2006;47(2):411-16.
  • Thompson K, Saab G, Birnie D, Chow BJW, Ukkonen H, Ananthasubraminiam K, deKemp RA, Garrard L, Ruddy TD, DaSilva JN, Beanlands RS. Is Septal Glucose Metabolism Altered in Patients with Left Bundle Branch Block and Ischemic Cardiomyopathy? J Nucl Med 2006;47(11):1763-68.
  • Yoshinaga K, Burwash IG, Leech JA, Haddad H, Johnson CB, deKemp RA, Garrard L, Chen L, K, DaSilva JN, Beanlands RS. Effect of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Myocardial in Patients with Heart Failure and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;49(4):450-58.
  • Mahmoud S, Beanlands RS, deKemp R, Chan K-W, Beauchesne LM, Native anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery in an adult: Evidence of impaired coronary flow reserve by rubidium-82 positron emission tomography quantification. Cdn J Cardiol 2006;22(12):1069-70.
  • Klein R, Adler A, Beanlands RS, deKemp RA. Precision Control of Eluted Activity from a Sr/Rb Generator for Cardiac Perfusion Imaging with 3D PET. Phys Med Biol 2007;52:659-673.
  • Kenk M, Greene M, deKemp RA, Lortie M, Thorn S, Beanlands RS, DaSilva JN. In vivo selective binding of (R) [11C]rolipram to phosphodiesterase 4 provides the basis for studying intracellular cAMP signaling in the myocardium and other peripheral tissues. Nuclear Medicine & Biology 2007;34:71-77.
  • Chow BW, Dennie C, Hoffmann U, deKemp R, Ruddy T, Beanlands RS. Comparison of computed tomography angiography versus Rubidium-82 PET for the detection of patients with anatomical coronary artery disease. Can J Cardiol 2007;23(10):801-7.
  • deKemp R, Yoshinaga K, Beanlands RS. Will 3-dimensional PET enable routine quantification of myocardial blood flow. J Nucl Cardiol 2007;14(3):380-397.
  • Lortie M, Beanlands RSB, Yoshinaga K, Klein R, DaSilva JN, deKemp RA. Quantification of Myocardial Blood Flow with 82Rb Dynamic PET Imaging. Eur J Nucl Med Molec Imag 2007;34:1765–1774.
  • Johnson CB, Beanlands RS, Yoshinaga K, Haddad J, Leech J, deKemp R, Burwash IG. Acute and chronic effects of continuous positive airway pressure therapy on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and congestive heart failure. Can J Cardiol 2007.
  • Ruel M, Beanlands R, Lortie M, Chan V, deKemp R, Suuronen E, Rubens FD, DaSilva J, Sellke FW, Stewart DJ, Mesana TG. Concomitant treatment with oral L-arginine improves the efficacy of surgical angiogenesis in patients with severe diffuse coronary artery disease: The endothelial modulation in angiogenic therapy (EMAT) randomized controlled trial. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2008 (in press).
  • Beanlands RSB, Nichol G, Huszti E, Humen D, Racine N, Freeman M, Gulenchyn KY, Garrard L, deKemp R, Gao A, Ruddy TD, Benard F, Lamy A, Iwanochko RM, and the PARR2 investigators. F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose PET imaging assisted management of patients with severe LV dysfunction and suspected CAD. A randomized controlled trial (PARR-2). J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;50(20):2002-12.
  • Kenk M, Greene M, Lortie M, Dekemp RA, Beanlands RS, Dasilva JN. Use of a column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography method to assess the presence of specific binding of (R)- and (S)-[(11)C]rolipram and their labeled metabolites to the phosphodiesterase-4 enzyme in rat plasma and tissues. Nucl Med Biol. 2008 May;35(4):515-21.
  • Zhang Y, Ruel M, Beanlands RS, deKemp RA, Suuronen EJ, DaSilva JN. Tracking Stem Cell Therapy in the Myocardium: Applications of Positron Emission Tomography. Current Pharmaceutical Design 2008;14(36):3835-53
  • Burwash I. G., Lortie M, Pibarot P, deKemp R, Graf S, Mundigler G, Khorsand A, Blais C, Baumgartner H, Dumesnil J. G, Hachicha Z, DaSilva J, and Beanlands R. Myocardial Blood Flow in Patients with Low Flow, Low Gradient Aortic Stenosis: Differences Between True and Pseudo-Severe Aortic Stenosis. Heart 2008; 94(12):1627-33
  • Ukkonen H, Burwash I, deKemp RA, Haddad H, Dafoe W, Yoshinaga K, Davies RA, DaSilva JN, Beanlands RS. In Ventilatory Efficiency (VE/VCO2 Slope) with Exercise Associated with Right Ventricular Oxidative Metabolism in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure. Submitted to Eur J Heart Failure 2008; Nov;10(11):1117-22
  • Zhang Y, Thorn S, DaSilva JN, Lamoureux M, deKemp RA, Beanlands RS, Ruel M, Suuronen EJ. Collagen-Based Matrices Improve the Delivery of Transplanted Circulating Progenitor Cells: Development and Demonstration by Ex Vivo Radionuclide Cell Labeling and In Vivo Tracking With Positron-Emission Tomography. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2008;1:197-204
  • Wells RG, deKemp RA, Beanlands RSB. Positron Emission Tomography, in “Nuclear Cardiology Technical Applications” Heller, Mann, Hendel (eds), 2008 (In press).
  • Ziadi, deKemp, Beanlands. Cardiac PET Imaging, in “Nuclear Cardiology” Zaret, Beller (eds), 2008 (in press).
  • D’Egidio G, Nichol G, Williams K, Guo A, Garrard L, deKemp R, Ruddy TD, DaSilva J, Humen D, Gulenchyn K, Freeman M, Racine N, Benard F, Hendry P, Beanlands R; Identification of High Risk Patients with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: Increasing Benefit from Revascularization is Associated with Increasing Amounts of Hibernating Myocardium. A substudy of the PARR 2 trial. JACC Imaging 2009 (in press)
  • Ziadi M, deKemp R, Beanlands R. Quantification of Myocardial Perfusion:What Will It Take to Make It Prime time? Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports. 2009 (in press)
  • JA Fallavollita, MD Banas, G Suzuki, RA deKemp, M Sajjad, MS Haka, JM Canty. 11C-meta-Hydroxyephedrine Defects Persist Despite Functional Improvement in Hibernating Myocardium. J.Nucl.Med 2009 (in press).
  • Manabe O, Yoshinaga K, Katoh C, Naya M, deKemp RA, Tamaki N. Repeatability of rest and hyperemic myocardial blood flow measurements with 82Rb dynamic PET. J Nucl Med. 2009 Jan;50(1):68-71
  • Chow B, Al-Shammeri OM, Beanlands R, Chen L, deKemp RA, DaSilva J, Ruddy T. Prognostic Value of Treadmill Exercise and Dobutamine Stress Positron Emission Tomography Can J Cardiol. 2009 (in press)

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, COPYRIGHTS AND PATENTS

  • deKemp RA. “Rb-82 Elution System” sale to General Electric Medical Systems Canada, Mississauga, ON, 2002.
  • deKemp RA, Klein R, Epstein N. “RbES© – Rb-82 Elution System”. Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Copyright 2003.
  • deKemp RA. “MyoPC© – Image Analysis Software for Dynamic Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography (PET)”. Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Copyright 2004.
  • deKemp RA, Wells RG. “82Sr/82Rb (rubidium) Generator Technology”, Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation, St. Joseph’s Health Care London, and Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Technical Transfer Agreement 2004.
  • deKemp RA. “FlowTrace-Rb™ Rubidium-82 Generator for PET perfusion imaging”. Trademark applications in Canada, U.S. and Europe. 2005.
  • deKemp RA. “A Rubidium Generator for Cardiac Perfusion Imaging and Method of Making and Maintaining Same”. Patent and PCT applications filed 2005.
  • Patents pending in U.S., Canada, and 31 PCT countries, 2008.
  • Exclusive license agreement with DRAXIMAGE specialty pharmaceuticals, Montreal, QC, Nov 2007
  • deKemp RA, Klein R. “Rubidium Elution System Control”. Patent and PCT applications filed 2006.
  • Patents pending in U.S., Canada, and 31 PCT countries, 2008.
  • Exclusive license agreement with DRAXIMAGE specialty pharmaceuticals, Montreal, QC, Nov 2007
  • deKemp RA, Klein R, Renaud J, Lortie M. “FlowQuant© – Image Analysis Software for Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography (PET)”. Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Copyright 2008.
  • Distribution agreement with HERMES Medical Solutions, Montreal, QC, June 2008

BOOK CHAPTERS

  • deKemp RA, Jones WF, Beanlands RS, Nahmias C. Design and Performance of 3D Single Photon Transmission Measurement on a Positron Tomograph with Continuously Rotating Detectors, in “Three-Dimensional Image Reconstruction in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine”. Grangeat P, Amans J-L (eds), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1996, p.245-254.
  • Tamaki N, Ruddy TD, deKemp R, Beanlands RS. Myocardial Perfusion Imaging, in “Principles and Practice of Positron Emission Tomography”. Wahl R (ed), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2002.
  • Wassenaar R, Beanlands RS, Ruddy TD, deKemp RA. 3D Cardiac PET Imaging, in “Research Advances in Nuclear Medicine”. R.Mohan (ed), Global Research Network, 2002, p.51-60.
  • Yoshinaga, Tamaki N, Ruddy TD, deKemp R, Beanlands RS. Myocardial Perfusion Imaging, in “Principles and Practice of Positron Emission Tomography” 2nd Edition. Wahl R (ed), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2008, chapter 11.2
DeKemp, Robert

DeKemp, Robert

DeKemp, Robert

BASc, MSc, PhD, PEng, PPhys
Email
radekemp@ottawaheart.ca

Appointments and affiliations

Head Imaging Physicist, Cardiac Imaging
University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Associate Professor and Medical Scientist, Faculty of Medicine
Member, Faculty of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies
University of Ottawa

Adjunct Professor, Physics
Member, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research
Carleton University