About

Aashim Bhatia is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He holds an MS and MD, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology. His professional roles include being an Attending Neuroradiologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Founder & Director of the Bhatia Laboratory at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. His research primarily focuses on pediatric neuroimaging, including the use of sodium MRI and MR elastography as quantitative biomarkers in pediatric brain tumors, as well as the clinical utility of sodium MRI and liquid biopsy in predicting the activity of pediatric diffuse midline gliomas. Bhatia has contributed to the understanding of imaging differentiation of pediatric brain tumors and has been involved in studies related to pediatric neuro-oncology, child abuse imaging, and neuroradiology. His educational background includes a BA in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, an MS in Biology from the same institution, and an MD from Howard University School of Medicine.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Oncology
• Pathology
• Medical physics
• Radiology

Selected publications

• Abstract B008: Personalized antisense oligonucleotide treatment in a patient with relapsed <i>NFIA</i> :: <i>CBFA2T3</i> acute myelogenous leukemia

  Cancer Research · 2026-01-13

  article

  Abstract Introduction Although driver oncogenic fusions offer an appealing therapeutic target, there is a critical shortage of targeted therapies against many fusions. Customizable direct target inhibition would address this gap. We developed an individualized antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) targeting the NFIA::CBFA2T3 fusion for a patient with relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Diagnosed at 5 months of age with isolated central nervous system (CNS) AML, the patient underwent surgical resection, radiation therapy, and multiple rounds of systemic and intrathecal (IT)/intraventricular chemotherapy over 18 months. Ultimately, widespread leptomeningeal and extra-CNS AML progression occurred, requiring extraventricular drain (EVD) placement prior to ASO administration. We hypothesized the ASO would eliminate NFIA::CBFA2T3 fusion expression and reduce viability of fusion-bearing cells. Methods CLIA-certified whole transcriptome RNA sequencing was performed at relapse. A panel of five unique ASO constructs were designed against the NFIA::CBFA2T3 fusion breakpoint. Constructs were tested in 3 model cell lines and 1 patient-derived cell line. Neurotoxicity of the lead ASO was evaluated in NOD scid gamma (NSG) mice. A single patient IND application with a dose escalation schema received IRB and FDA approval. GMP-grade ASO (2 mg) was administered via IT injection at disease progression after informed consent was obtained. Adverse events were reported per CTCAE v5.0. Pharmacokinetic analysis on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood was performed using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results The lead ASO diminished NFIA::CBFA2T3 transcript expression by 83% in HEK293T cells expressing NFIA::CBFA2T3 and reduced cell number by 57% (p&amp;lt;0.05) in the patient-derived cell line. There was no decrease of endogenous NFIA mRNA or growth-inhibitory effect to non-fusion-bearing cells. Animal models showed no signs of toxicity. Within 4 months of pre-clinical testing initiation, ASO was administered during a period of rapid disease progression. Surrounding administration, the patient experienced elevated CSF output (maximum 386 mL/day), cerebral edema, and elevated CSF cytokines IL-6 (18-905 pg/mL) and IL-8 (199-4039 pg/mL). Adverse events grade 3 or above with possible or probable attribution to ASO included depressed level of consciousness, cerebral edema, hydrocephalus, and seizure. Maximal ASO CSF concentration was 648 ng/mL at 48 hours and was undetectable by day 5 post ASO. The ASO was not detected in peripheral blood. The patient experienced further AML progression and died 21 days post ASO. Conclusion An NFIA::CBFA2T3 ASO was engineered and demonstrated decreased transcript expression preclinically. The successful clinical delivery demonstrates proof-of-principle for personalized ASOs in pediatric oncologic care. Toxicity attribution is complicated by rapid disease progression. Ongoing work will more deeply phenotype this patient’s clinical course and develop ASO platform trials. Citation Format: Monica Pomaville, Hyojeong Hwang, Alexis Boulter, Tina Glisovic-Aplenc, Praneeth Bommisetti, Katelyn Oranges, Brandi Nelson, Jeffrey Schubert, Feng Xu, Jinhua Wu, Gregory M. Podsakoff, Margaret Tartaglione, Olivia Caradonio, Ellen Maple, Johannes Van Der Loo, Aashim Bhatia, Michael LaRiviere, Madison Hollawell, Mateusz Koptyra, Marilyn Li, Theodore W. Laetsch, Peter Madsen, Jessica B. Foster, Richard Aplenc, Fange Liu. Personalized antisense oligonucleotide treatment in a patient with relapsed NFIA::CBFA2T3 acute myelogenous leukemia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Fusion-Positive Cancer: From Discovery to Therapy; 2026 Jan 13-15; Philadelphia PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(1_Suppl):Abstract nr B008.

  PublisherDOI

• Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Symposium, Pediatric Society of Neuro-Oncology proceedings: Current status and future initiatives

  Neuro-Oncology Pediatrics · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (RAPNO) is an international working group dedicated to developing standardized recommendations for response assessment in children with central nervous system tumors enrolled on clinical trials. This standardization facilitates easier and more reliable comparison of responses across trials. Since the first RAPNO publication in 2013, response guidelines have been issued for medulloblastoma (MB), low-grade glioma (LGG), high-grade glioma (HGG), diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, ependymoma, and craniopharyngioma. Many of these guidelines have already been incorporated into clinical trials to evaluate their effectiveness and accuracy. RAPNO has always been predicated on the idea that these consensus recommendations will require updates over time as they are applied in practice given technological advancements, evolving treatment approaches, and growing knowledge of disease pathology. A half-day RAPNO symposium sponsored by the Society of Neuro-Oncology was held in San Diego, California, United States, on May 15, 2025. This event coincided with the 8th Biennial Pediatric Society of Neuro-Oncology meeting. The main objectives were to identify ongoing RAPNO challenges, discuss potential updates, and plan future initiatives across 3 specific groups: (1) LGG/Craniopharyngioma, (2) HGG/diffuse midline glioma (DMG)/Ependymoma, and (3) MB and other seeding tumors. This manuscript reviews the symposium proceedings and highlights key topics and challenges discussed, as well as outlining future RAPNO initiatives.

  PublisherDOI

• Astroblastoma: Radiologic Characterization with Novel Findings and Integrated Molecular Correlation

  Open MIND · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access
  OA PDFDOI

• Generative AI for spatial tumor growth on MRI: a proof-of-principle study in pediatric diffuse midline glioma

  BMC Medicine · 2026-05-18

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a cornerstone of non-invasive diagnosis and response monitoring in neuro-oncology, and predictions of spatial tumor progression conditioned on the patients' anatomy are increasingly important. We present a proof-of-principle of personalized spatial tumor progression on MRI through generative AI, focusing on pediatric Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG). METHODS: We employed guided Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models (DDIM) to model anatomical tumor growth in pediatric DMGs on MRI. Multiparametric scans from adult (n = 1,251) and pediatric (n = 144) patients from the BraTS23 challenge were used to train a slice-based framework, conditioned on baseline scans and a target tumor size. Repeated image generations produce probabilistic tumor growth maps highlighting likely regions of progression. The realism of the generated MRIs was evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively through expert assessment. Spatial growth predictions were validated against an independent dataset of longitudinal MRI scans from a multi-institutional pre-radiotherapy DMG dataset (n = 178 paired slices). RESULTS: We generated anatomically coherent, patient-specific T2-FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) MRI axial slices. Quantitative measures and expert evaluations confirmed the high quality of the generated images, which trained radiologists were unable to reliably distinguish from real scans (accuracy 0.53 ± 0.03). While radiomic features analyses showed good agreement (83% non-significant features) between synthetic and real images, a classifier detected subtle pixel-wise differences (accuracy of 0.69). Tumor growth probability maps aligned well with true tumor growth observed in follow-up imaging, obtaining a mean continuous DICE score of 0.79 ± 0.13. CONCLUSIONS: We present guided DDIMs as a predictive tool for spatial tumor growth, illustrated for the progression of DMGs, that demonstrates potential for its integration in personalized radiotherapy planning. Our comprehensive image quality analysis highlights the importance of carefully evaluating synthetic data and its integration in research and clinical workflows.

  PublisherDOI

• Generative AI for spatial tumor growth on MRI: a proof-of-principle study in pediatric diffuse midline glioma.

  Open Access CRIS of the University of Bern · 2026-05-18

  articleOpen access

  Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a cornerstone of non-invasive diagnosis and response monitoring in neuro-oncology, and predictions of spatial tumor progression conditioned on the patients' anatomy are increasingly important. We present a proof-of-principle of personalized spatial tumor progression on MRI through generative AI, focusing on pediatric Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG).Methods We employed guided Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models (DDIM) to model anatomical tumor growth in pediatric DMGs on MRI. Multiparametric scans from adult (n = 1,251) and pediatric (n = 144) patients from the BraTS23 challenge were used to train a slice-based framework, conditioned on baseline scans and a target tumor size. Repeated image generations produce probabilistic tumor growth maps highlighting likely regions of progression. The realism of the generated MRIs was evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively through expert assessment. Spatial growth predictions were validated against an independent dataset of longitudinal MRI scans from a multi-institutional pre-radiotherapy DMG dataset (n = 178 paired slices).Results We generated anatomically coherent, patient-specific T2-FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) MRI axial slices. Quantitative measures and expert evaluations confirmed the high quality of the generated images, which trained radiologists were unable to reliably distinguish from real scans (accuracy 0.53 ± 0.03). While radiomic features analyses showed good agreement (83% non-significant features) between synthetic and real images, a classifier detected subtle pixel-wise differences (accuracy of 0.69). Tumor growth probability maps aligned well with true tumor growth observed in follow-up imaging, obtaining a mean continuous DICE score of 0.79 ± 0.13.Conclusions We present guided DDIMs as a predictive tool for spatial tumor growth, illustrated for the progression of DMGs, that demonstrates potential for its integration in personalized radiotherapy planning. Our comprehensive image quality analysis highlights the importance of carefully evaluating synthetic data and its integration in research and clinical workflows.

  PublisherDOI

• Abusive head trauma: orbital and facial trauma

  Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2026-04-10

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Pediatric Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytomas: A Multicenter Neuroradiological and Clinical Correlation Study

  American Journal of Neuroradiology · 2026-04-13

  articleOpen access

  <h3>BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:</h3> Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytomas (PXAs) are rare pediatric brain tumors accounting for approximately 1% of primary brain neoplasms in children and young adults. Despite recent imaging and molecular advances, gaps remain in our understanding of their diverse imaging characteristics and clinical outcomes. This study provides a large international, multi-institutional analysis of pediatric PXAs focusing on neuroimaging and clinical outcomes. <h3>MATERIALS AND METHODS:</h3> We conducted a retrospective international multi-center study including 63 pediatric patients with histologically confirmed PXAs. Neuroimaging data were reviewed, and molecular analyses were recorded with emphasis on BRAF V600E mutations and CDKN2A/B deletions. Treatment modalities and clinical outcomes, including progression-free and overall survival, were analyzed using statistical survival models. <h3>RESULTS:</h3> 73.3% of tumors were CNS WHO grade 2 and 26.7% were CNS WHO grade 3. The median age at diagnosis was 10.7 (IQR 6.9) years. CNS WHO grade 3 tumors were significantly larger at diagnosis, with a median volume of 87,920 mm³ compared with 14,925 mm³ for grade 2 tumors (p = 0.03). BRAF V600E mutations were identified in 78% of cases and CDKN2A/B deletions in 93.5%. On MRI, PXAs typically appeared well-defined, with cortical and leptomeningeal contact (86.0% and 56.4%, respectively), frequent cysts (59.6%), and intermediate diffusivity (mean ADC 1005 × 10⁻⁶ mm²/s). CT imaging showed most tumors were isointense to gray matter (52.0%), with hydrocephalus more common in grade 3 tumors (71.4% vs. 26.3%, <i>p</i> = 0.07). Gross total resection was achieved in 73.7% of cases and was associated with improved progression-free survival, independent of age at diagnosis and tumor grade (HR = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.16–0.96; p = 0.041). Larger tumor volume correlated with poorer survival outcomes (HR = 3.47; 95% CI, 0.83–14.4; p = 0.087), also independent of tumor grade and age at diagnosis. Tumor recurrence occurred in 44.8% of patients at three years. The estimated three-year overall survival rate was 94.7%. <h3>CONCLUSIONS:</h3> Pediatric PXAs exhibit distinct neuroimaging and molecular features correlating with prognosis. Integrated evaluation of radiological and clinical features is critical to improve risk stratification and guide personalized therapeutic strategies in this rare tumor population.

  PublisherDOI

• Training the next generation of physicians for artificial intelligence-assisted clinical neuroradiology: ASNR MICCAI Brain Tumor Segmentation (BraTS) 2025 Lighthouse Challenge education platform

  ArXiv.org · 2025-09-21

  preprintOpen access

  High-quality reference standard image data creation by neuroradiology experts for automated clinical tools can be a powerful tool for neuroradiology &amp; artificial intelligence education. We developed a multimodal educational approach for students and trainees during the MICCAI Brain Tumor Segmentation Lighthouse Challenge 2025, a landmark initiative to develop accurate brain tumor segmentation algorithms. Fifty-six medical students &amp; radiology trainees volunteered to annotate brain tumor MR images for the BraTS challenges of 2023 &amp; 2024, guided by faculty-led didactics on neuropathology MRI. Among the 56 annotators, 14 select volunteers were then paired with neuroradiology faculty for guided one-on-one annotation sessions for BraTS 2025. Lectures on neuroanatomy, pathology &amp; AI, journal clubs &amp; data scientist-led workshops were organized online. Annotators &amp; audience members completed surveys on their perceived knowledge before &amp; after annotations &amp; lectures respectively. Fourteen coordinators, each paired with a neuroradiologist, completed the data annotation process, averaging 1322.9+/-760.7 hours per dataset per pair and 1200 segmentations in total. On a scale of 1-10, annotation coordinators reported significant increase in familiarity with image segmentation software pre- and post-annotation, moving from initial average of 6+/-2.9 to final average of 8.9+/-1.1, and significant increase in familiarity with brain tumor features pre- and post-annotation, moving from initial average of 6.2+/-2.4 to final average of 8.1+/-1.2. We demonstrate an innovative offering for providing neuroradiology &amp; AI education through an image segmentation challenge to enhance understanding of algorithm development, reinforce the concept of data reference standard, and diversify opportunities for AI-driven image analysis among future physicians.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Data from Measles Oncolytic Virus as an Immunotherapy for Recurrent/Refractory Pediatric Medulloblastoma and Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor: Results from PNOC005

  2025-08-14 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  &lt;div&gt;AbstractPurpose:&lt;p&gt;Pediatric recurrent medulloblastoma and atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) are largely incurable and warrant novel therapies. PNOC005 is a phase I clinical trial investigating the safety and tolerability of intratumoral or intrathecal administration of oncolytic measles virus (MV-NIS) in children and young adults with recurrent medulloblastoma or ATRT.&lt;/p&gt;Patients and Methods:&lt;p&gt;We investigated (i) the safety of a measles virus variant, MV-NIS, in a pediatric phase I study and (ii) the mechanisms of MV-NIS and the potential benefit of combination with immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI). Pediatric patients with recurrent medulloblastoma or ATRT were treated with intratumoral injections for local recurrence or via lumbar puncture for disseminated recurrence. We evaluated local immune responses to MV-NIS with and without ICI via single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing in an intracranial, immunocompetent, syngeneic murine model.&lt;/p&gt;Results:&lt;p&gt;MV-NIS given intratumorally or via repeat intrathecal dosing was safe. MV-NIS prolonged survival in murine models but did not demonstrate an additive benefit with ICI. No changes in tumor-infiltrating immune cell composition or activation were observed in response to MV-NIS treatment; however, MV-NIS induced local expression of neutralizing antibodies, complement cascade, and phagocytosis-related genes.&lt;/p&gt;Conclusions:&lt;p&gt;This is the first trial investigating intratumoral as well as repeated intrathecal delivery of MV-NIS in children with medulloblastoma and ATRT. We show that the therapy is safe and well tolerated, with minimal adverse effects. Immune markers and biological correlates preliminarily indicate antiviral effects in tumors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

  PublisherDOI

• IMGP-05. Compliance with the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Pediatric Brain Tumor MRI Protocol: A Multi-Institutional Evaluation

  Neuro-Oncology · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Standardized imaging protocols are essential in pediatric neuro-oncology to ensure consistent tumor assessment across institutions and to support multicenter clinical trials. In late 2022, the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) published MRI guidelines for pediatric brain tumor imaging, yet the extent of their adoption in routine clinical practice remains unknown. We conducted a multi-institutional evaluation of MRI protocols from 15 U.S. pediatric imaging centers to assess compliance with COG-recommended sequences and technical parameters. For each institution, we reviewed the inclusion of seven core sequences and assessed compliance with plane, slice thickness, and gap specifications. Additionally, we distributed a brief survey to capture local imaging practices, guideline awareness, and reporting methods. While all institutions included diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in their protocols, fewer consistently incorporated dedicated anatomic T1-weighted and T2-weighted sequences, with only 50% including the recommended axial or coronal T1 TSE/FSE. The average number of compliant sequences per site was 5.6 out of 7. Among reported sequences, compliance with technical parameters was high, particularly for imaging plane (91.4%) and slice gap (82.5%), though some protocols lacked full parameter documentation. Survey results revealed that fewer than half of institutions modeled their protocols directly on consensus guidelines such as COG or RAPNO, with others citing legacy practices, resource constraints, or trial-specific adaptations. Our findings highlight strong adherence to key imaging sequences essential for characterizing tumor properties but variability in the inclusion of key anatomic sequences and technical standardization. Reasons for non-compliance include the recency of the guidelines, differences in institutional priorities, equipment limitations, and the need to balance practicality and protocol complexity. These results underscore the importance of continued education, guideline refinement, and potential integration of protocol adherence into trial requirements to improve uniformity in pediatric brain tumor imaging.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Kshitij Mankad

  Great Ormond Street Hospital

  26 shared

• Tina Young Poussaint

  Boston Children's Museum

  21 shared

• Felice D’Arco

  Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

  18 shared

• César Augusto Pinheiro Ferreira Alves

  Boston Children's Hospital

  18 shared

• Vanessa Rameh

  Boston Children's Hospital

  16 shared

• Ulrike Löbel

  16 shared

• Neetika Gupta

  Hospital for Sick Children

  15 shared

• Cassie Kline

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  15 shared

Education

• B.A., Chemistry

  University of North Carolina at Charlotte

  2000

• M.S., Biology

  University of North Carolina at Charlotte

  2003

• M.D.

  Howard University School of Medicine

  2008