Brian Nieman

Dr. Brian Nieman is currently a Senior Scientist at the Mouse Imaging Centre (MICe) in the Translational Medicine Program of the SickKids Research Institute. He is also appointed as a Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. 

Dr. Nieman received his PhD in 2006 from the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the New York University School of Medicine, he joined SickKids as a Scientist in 2009. His research focuses broadly on development of imaging methods for evaluating mouse models of conditions affecting brain development. His recent work has focused particularly on the developmental impacts of pediatric cancer treatment and on gestational dietary influences.

Research

Paediatric cancer treatment has advanced considerably over recent decades. The most common types of cancer treatment are cured in a majority of patients. Survivors can experience late-appearing side effects including cognitive, behavioural, and psychological impairments. This dramatically impacts quality of life in children who survive cancer. A means of eliminating or treating these “late effects” is urgently needed, but the mechanism by which they appear is not clear. The Nieman lab is studying how both cranial radiotherapy and chemotherapy affect the developing brain. Results to date highlight important structural changes in the brain that are sensitive to processes of inflammation, apoptosis, brain connectivity, and biological sex. Moreover, effects appear to vary between individuals. In current work, the research team is investigating genetic factors that modulate treatment-induced toxicity and long-term outcome with the goal of identifying causes of resilience and sensitivity in cancer survivors.

Cancer treatments are just one of many experiences that can impact brain development in early childhood. Evidence suggests that early dietary exposures also influence brain development. Gestational consumption of high-fat and high-sugar diets, for example, increase offspring risk for neurodevelopment conditions. Through experiments in mouse models, the Nieman lab has investigated the role of early dietary exposures in brain development. Results from their experimental model highlight that fat content is likely an important driver of developmental alterations, that maternal consumption is more influential than paternal consumption, and that developmental alterations persist into adulthood, even if offspring switch to a healthy diet early in life. Ongoing work will explore whether postnatal interventions can improve brain health as well as how gestational diet may influence development in those with other pre-existing risk factors for neurodevelopment conditions.

The Nieman lab is also active in development of new tools for imaging in models of human disease. Dr. Nieman and his team have developed new tools for imaging of the mouse brain, the adult mouse heart, and the embryonic brain and heart in utero. This significantly expands the range of applications for mouse MRI, enabling longitudinal studies of development from embryonic stages through adulthood. Importantly, expansion of high-throughput imaging methodologies has opened up new opportunities for large systems genetics studies, which are being employed in the team’s study of childhood cancer treatment and autism to identify genetic factors that alter brain outcomes.

Education

• 2006–2009: Postdoctoral Fellowship, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
• 2001–2006: PhD, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 1997–2001: B.Sc., Department of Physics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

Experience

• 2026–Present: Professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2019–2026: Associate Professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2015–2025: OICR Investigator, Level 2, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2010–2019: Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2015–Present: Senior Scientist, Mouse Imaging Centre, Translational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2009–2015: Scientist, Mouse Imaging Centre, Physiology and Experimental Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2009–2015: OICR New Investigator, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada

1. K.G. Beera, Y.Q. Li, J. Dazai, J. Stewart, S. Egan, M. Ahmed, C.S. Wong, D.A. Jaffray, B.J. Nieman. Altered brain morphology after focal radiation reveals impact of off-target effects: implications for white matter development and neurogenesis. Neuro-Oncology 20(6):788-798, 2018.
2. T. L. Spencer Noakes, T.S. Przybycien, A. Forwell, C. Nicholls, Y.-Q. Zhou, D.T. Butcher, R. Weksburg, S.L. Guger, B.J. Spiegler, R.J Schachar, J. Hitzler, S. Ito, E. van der Plas, B.J. Nieman. Brain development and heart function after systemic single-agent chemotherapy in a mouse model of childhood leukemia treatment. Clinical Cancer Research, 24(23):6040-6052, 2018.
3. B.J. Nieman, M.C. van Eede, S. Spring, J. Dazai, R.M. Henkelman, J.P. Lerch. MRI to assess neurological function. Current Protocols in Mouse Biology 8(2):44, 2018.
4. E. van der Plas, T.L. Spencer Noakes, D.T. Butcher, R. Weksberg, L. Galin-Corini, E.A. Wanstall, P. Te, L. Hopf, S. Guger, B.J. Spiegler, J. Hitzler, R.J. Schachar, S. Ito, B.J. Nieman. Quantitative MRI outcomes in child and adolescent leukemia survivors: evidence for global alterations in gray and white matter. NeuroImage: Clinical, 2020. 28:102428.
5. E. van der Plas, T.L. Spencer Noakes, D.T. Butcher, R. Weksberg, L. Galin-Corini, E.A. Wanstall, P. Te, L. Hopf, S. Guger, B.J. Spiegler, J. Hitzler, R.J. Schachar, S. Ito, B.J. Nieman. Quality of life in child and adolescent leukemia survivors. Pediatric Research, 2020.

See a full list of Brian Nieman's publications