Dr. Ferdinand Knieling
Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
My research focuses on non-invasive diagnostics, which are tailored to our youngest patients. We aim to discover biological insights by novel imaging approaches and the rapid translation to clinical applications.
Research projects
- Imaging of tissue degeneration and fibrosis
- Imaging of inflammatory processes and therapeutic monitoring
- Intraoperative imaging of neonates
- AI-supported imaging classification of muscular Diseases –
- Imaging of rare Diseases
- Point of care low magnetic field MRI imaging in pediatrics
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KI-SAFER: Etablierung einer neuartigen, hochauflösenden Ultraschallbildgebungsmethode für das neonatale Gehirn.
(Third Party Funds Single)
Project leader:
Term: 1. December 2024 - 30. November 2027
Acronym: KI-SAFER
Funding source: andere Förderorganisation -
IseeG: FunctIonal optoacousticS for imaging Early onsEt of Gut inflammation
(Third Party Funds Single)
Project leader:
Term: 1. December 2023 - 30. November 2028
Acronym: IseeG
Funding source: European Research Council (ERC) -
SCREEN4CARE: Shortening the path to rare disease diagnosis by using newborn genetic screening and digital technologies
(Third Party Funds Group – Sub project)
Overall project: Shortening the path to rare disease diagnosis by using newborn genetic screening and digital technologies
Project leader: ,
Term: 1. October 2021 - 30. September 2026
Acronym: SCREEN4CARE
Funding source: Sonstige EU-Programme (z. B. RFCS, DG Health, IMI, Artemis)
2026
- Bender, C.J., Knopp, M., Holzwarth, N., Rix, T., Nölke, J.H., Dreher, K.K.,... Maier-Hein, L. (2026). Photoacoustic device fingerprints induce bias in deep learning models. Scientific Reports, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-53468-6
- De Lorenzo, A., Forsting, J., Froeling, M., Güttsches, A.K., Enax-Krumova, E., Kleefeld, F.,... Schlaffke, L. (2026). Longitudinal Assessment of Muscle Involvement in Late-Onset Pompe Disease Using Quantitative MRI: A Prospective Cohort Study. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.70304
- Dierl, A., Hinsen, M., Wild, E.-M., Bayerl, N., Heiß, R., Nagel, A.M.,... Karow, A. (2026). Free-breathing phase-resolved functional lung (PREFUL) low-field magnetic resonance imaging (LF-MRI) of pulmonary dysfunction after surviving childhood cancer. Communications Medicine, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-01365-w
- Kitzberger, M., Aviles Verdera, J., Bieling, F., Schulz-Heise, S., Schmidt, S., Knieling, F.,... Hutter, J. (2026). Towards a Comprehensive Morphological, Dynamic and Functional MRI Investigation of the Pediatric Bowel at 0.55T. In Daphna Link-Sourani, Esra Abaci Turk, Wietske Bastiaansen, Jana Hutter, Andrew Melbourne, Roxane Licandro (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Computer Science (pp. 200-210). Daejeon, KR: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH.
- Kraus, C., Tan, L., Hinsen, M., Schmidt, S., Nedoschill, E., Wachter, F.,... Raming, R. (2026). Longitudinal functional lung imaging in children with Post-COVID-19 syndrome. Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40348-025-00216-x
- Martin, S., Kyosovska-Peshtenska, G., Audi, J., Zarakowska, K., Grauman, Å., Veldwijk, J.,... Hansson, M. (2026). Preferences, attitudes and views regarding genetic newborn screening (gNBS) for rare diseases: a systematic review of the literature and synthesis from 2009 to 2022. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-025-04179-0
- Tan, L., Wagner, A., Heiß, R., Bayerl, N., Zschüntzsch, J., Regensburger, A.,... Knieling, F. (2026). Mapping lung function in late-onset Pompe disease using label-free functional MRI. iScience, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.115136
2025
- Caranovic, M., Kempf, J., Li, Y., Regensburger, A., Günther, J., Träger, A.P.,... Rother, U. (2025). Derivation and validation of a non-invasive optoacoustic imaging biomarker for detection of patients with intermittent claudication. Communications Medicine, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-00801-1
- Fuchte, J., Wachter, F., Claßen, M., Vogt-Wolz, H., Paulus, L.-P., Mandelbaum, H.,... Schnell, A. (2025). Contrast-enhanced multispectral optoacoustic tomography for the assessment of the gastrointestinal transit in patients with cystic fibrosis. Photoacoustics, 46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2025.100766
- Huber, F., Schöffl, I., Müller, N., Dierl, A., Wild, E.-M., Naumann-Bartsch, N.,... Anderheiden, F. (2025). What about the heart — pediatric ALL survivors show cardiopulmonary limitations in the MinimALL Study. European Journal of Pediatrics, 184(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-025-06243-0
- Knieling, F., Brown, E.L., Eckstein, M., Thoma, O.-M., Wachter, F., Mandelbaum, H.,... Regensburger, A. (2025). Guided Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography for 3D Imaging of the Murine Colon. Advanced Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202413434
- Knieling, F., Lee, S., & Ntziachristos, V. (2025). A primer on current status and future opportunities of clinical optoacoustic imaging. npj Imaging, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44303-024-00065-9
- Knopp, M., Bender, C.J., Holzwarth, N., Li, Y., Kempf, J., Caranovic, M.,... Dreher, K.K. (2025). Shortcut learning leads to sex bias in deep learning models for photoacoustic tomography. International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-025-03370-9
- Linz, K., Wachter, F., Claßen, M., Zierk, J., Voggenreiter, T., Schnell, A.,... Regensburger, A. (2025). Serum bile acid profiles in pediatric gastrointestinal, hepatic and biliary diseases. Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics, 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40348-025-00211-2
- Mandelbaum, H., Wachter, F., Denis, L., Reisinger, C., Bühler, A., Yan, J.,... Regensburger, A. (2025). Sensing ultrasound localization microscopy for ultrastructural and functional imaging of neonatal kidneys. Ultraschall in der Medizin. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2700-9184
- Park, J., Choi, S., Knieling, F., Clingman, B., Bohndiek, S., Wang, L.V., & Kim, C. (2025). Clinical translation of photoacoustic imaging. Nature Reviews Bioengineering. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00240-y
- Reuting, M., Zapke, M., Wachter, F., Raming, R., Mandelbaum, H., Nedoschill, E.,... Knieling, F. (2025). Erratum: Auswirkungen der Kopfpositionierung auf die zerebrale Blutgeschwindigkeit in der Arteria basilaris bei Neugeborenen und Kleinkindern: Eine monozentrische, retrospektive Analyse Erratum: Correction: Effect of head positioning on cerebral blood velocity in the basilar artery in neonates and young infants: A single-center, retrospective analysis (Ultraschall in der Medizin (Stuttgart, Germany : 1980) (2025) DOI: 10.1055/a-2685-5506.). Ultraschall in der Medizin, 46(6), e18-. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2782-8515
- Reuting, M., Zapke, M., Wachter, F., Raming, R., Mandelbaum, H., Nedoschill, E.,... Knieling, F. (2025). Effect of head positioning on cerebral blood velocity in the basilar artery in neonates and young infants: A single-center, retrospective analysis. Ultraschall in der Medizin. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2685-5506
- Schikorra, T., May, M., Flohr, T.G., Allmendinger, T., Knieling, F., Bitan, I.,... Kopp, M. (2025). Validation of a novel 3D-printed anthropomorphic pediatric abdomen phantom using photon-counting CT. Scientific Reports, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32391-2
- Schwarz, S., Denis, L., Nedoschill, E., Bühler, A., Danko, V., Hilger, A.,... Knieling, F. (2025). Ultrasound Super-Resolution Imaging of Neonatal Cerebral Vascular Reorganization. Advanced Science, 12(12). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202415235
- Weigelt, A., Akhundova, G., Raming, R., Tratzky, J.-P., Regensburger, A., Kraus, C.,... Schöffl, I. (2025). Light at the end of the tunnel? Follow-up of cardiopulmonary function in children with post-COVID-19. European Journal of Pediatrics, 184(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-025-06245-y
2024
- Almási-Sperling, V., Gall, C., Haney, B., Latzel, N., Knieling, F., Hilger, A.,... Rother, U. (2024). Long-Term Experience of Arterio-Venous Fistula Surgery in Children on Hemodialysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13123577
- Bühler, A., Brown, E.L., Nedoschill, E., Eckstein, M., Ludwig, P., Wachter, F.,... Regensburger, A. (2024). In Vivo Assessment of Deep Vascular Patterns in Murine Colitis Using Optoacoustic Mesoscopic Imaging. Advanced Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202404618
- Fagni, F., Tascilar, K., Noversa de Sousa, R., Bayat, S., Sollfrank, L., Kleyer, A.,... Simon, D. (2024). Unveiling Metabolic Similarities of Entheses in Patients with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Using Noninvasive In Vivo Molecular Imaging: Results From a Cross-sectional Exploratory Study. Arthritis and Rheumatology, 76(9), 1387-1396. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.42917
- Hörning, A., Jüngert, J., Siebenlist, G., Knieling, F., & Regensburger, A. (2024). Ultrasound in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease—A Review of the State of the Art and Future Perspectives. Children, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/children11020156
- Li, Y., Gröhl, J., Haney, B., Caranovic, M., Lorenz-Meyer, E., Papatheodorou, N.,... Rother, U. (2024). Teachability of multispectral optoacoustic tomography. Journal of Biophotonics. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.202400106
- Martin, S., Angolini, E., Audi, J., Bertini, E., Bruno, L.P., Coulter, J.,... Veldwijk, J. (2024). Patient preferences in genetic newborn screening for rare diseases: study protocol. BMJ Open, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081835
- Nedoschill, E., Wagner, A.L., Danko, V., Bühler, A., Raming, R., Jüngert, J.M.,... Regensburger, A. (2024). Monitoring spinal muscular atrophy with three-dimensional optoacoustic imaging. Med, 5(5), 469-478.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medj.2024.02.010
- Noversa de Sousa, R., Tascilar, K., Corte, G., Atzinger, A., Minopoulou, I., Ohrndorf, S.,... Corte, G. (2024). Metabolic and molecular imaging in inflammatory arthritis. RMD Open, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003880
- Regensburger, A., Eckstein, M., Wetzl, M., Raming, R., Paulus, L.-P., Bühler, A.,... Knieling, F. (2024). Multispectral optoacoustic tomography enables assessment of disease activity in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Photoacoustics, 35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100578
- Regensburger, A., Wachter, F., Denis, L., Mandelbaum, H., Schey, F., Bühler, A.,... Knieling, F. (2024). Ultrasound Localization Microscopy for the Assessment of Microvascular Circulation in Ischemic Perinatal Stroke. Stroke, 55(12), e323-e325. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.124.048390
- Schöffl, I., Raming, R., Tratzky, J.P., Regensburger, A., Kraus, C., Wällisch, W.,... Weigelt, A. (2024). Cardiopulmonary function in paediatric post-COVID-19: a controlled clinical trial. European Journal of Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-024-05421-w
- Tan, L., Zschüntzsch, J., Meyer, S., Stobbe, A., Bruex, H., Regensburger, A.,... Knieling, F. (2024). Non-invasive optoacoustic imaging of glycogen-storage and muscle degeneration in late-onset Pompe disease. Nature Communications, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52143-6
- Träger, A.P., Günther, J., Raming, R., Paulus, L.-P., Lang, W., Meyer, A.,... Rother, U. (2024). Hybrid ultrasound and single wavelength optoacoustic imaging reveals muscle degeneration in peripheral artery disease. Photoacoustics, 35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100579
- Vonk, J., Knieling, F., & Kruijff, S. (2024). Collection on clinical photoacoustic imaging. European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-024-06780-0
- Zetzmann, K., Papatheodorou, N., Rühl, E., Yagshyyev, S., Haney, B., Moosmann, O.,... Rother, U. (2024). Detection of wound healing disorders after major amputations by measurements of the microcirculation: A prospective single-center study. SAGE Open Medicine, 12. https://doi.org/10.1177/20503121241263244
2023
- Assi, H., Cao, R., Castelino, M., Cox, B., Gilbert, F.J., Gröhl, J.,... Bohndiek, S.E. (2023). A review of a strategic roadmapping exercise to advance clinical translation of photoacoustic imaging: From current barriers to future adoption. Photoacoustics, 32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100539
- Bühler, A., Brown, E., Paulus, L.-P., Eckstein, M., Thoma, O.-M., Oraiopoulou, M.-E.,... Regensburger, A. (2023). Transrectal Absorber Guide Raster-Scanning Optoacoustic Mesoscopy for Label-Free In Vivo Assessment of Colitis. Advanced Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202300564
- Danko, V., Jüngert, J.M., Schüssler, S., Bühler, A., Klett, D., Federle, A.,... Wagner, A. (2023). Hybrid reflected-ultrasound computed tomography versus B-mode-ultrasound for muscle scoring in spinal muscular atrophy. Journal of Neuroimaging. https://doi.org/10.1111/jon.13081
- Günther, J., Knieling, F., Träger, A.P., Lang, W., Meyer, A., Regensburger, A.,... Rother, U. (2023). Targeting Muscular Hemoglobin Content for Classification of Peripheral Arterial Disease by Noninvasive Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography. Journal of the American College of Cardiology : Cardiovascular imaging, 16(5), 719-721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmg.2022.11.010
- Paulus, L.-P., Bühler, A., Wagner, A., Raming, R., Jüngert, J., Simon, D.,... Knieling, F. (2023). Contrast-Enhanced Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography for Functional Assessment of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Advanced Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202302562
- Paulus, L.-P., Wagner, A., Buehler, A., Raming, R., Jüngert, J., Simon, D.,... Regensburger, A. (2023). Multispectral optoacoustic tomography of the human intestine – temporal precision and the influence of postprandial gastrointestinal blood flow. Photoacoustics, 30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100457
- Schnell, A., Jüngert, J.M., Klett, D., Hober, H., Kaiser, N., Ruppel, R.,... Regensburger, A. (2023). Increase of liver stiffness and altered bile acid metabolism after triple CFTR modulator initiation in children and young adults with cystic fibrosis. Liver International. https://doi.org/10.1111/liv.15544
- Späth, M., Rohde, M., Ni, D., Knieling, F., Stelzle, F., Schmidt, M.,... Hohmann, M. (2023). Author Correction: The influence of the optical properties on the determination of capillary diameters (Scientific Reports, (2022), 12, 1, (270), 10.1038/s41598-021-04359-5). Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26996-0
- Wachter, F., Knieling, F., Raming, R., Simon, D., Wölfle, J., Hörning, A.,... Regensburger, A. (2023). Routine Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Serostatus in Pediatrics Allows Monitoring of Humoral Response. Microorganisms, 11(12), 2919. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11122919
2022
- Goebel, C.A., Brown, E., Fahlbusch, F., Wagner, A., Buehler, A., Raupach, T.,... Knieling, F. (2022). High-resolution label-free mapping of murine kidney vasculature by raster-scanning optoacoustic mesoscopy: an ex vivo study. Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40348-022-00144-0
- Heiß, R., Tan, L., Schmidt, S., Regensburger, A., Ewert, F., Mammadova, D.,... Knieling, F. (2022). Pulmonary Dysfunction after Pediatric COVID-19. Radiology. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.221250
- Knieling, F., Cesnjevar, R., Regensburger, A., Wagner, A., Purbojo, A., Dittrich, S.,... Rüffer, A. (2022). Transfontanellar Contrast-enhanced US for Intraoperative Imaging of Cerebral Perfusion during Neonatal Arterial Switch Operation. Radiology, 304(1), 164-173. https://doi.org/10.1148/radiol.212044
- Regensburger, A., Wagner, A., Danko, V., Jüngert, J.M., Federle, A., Klett, D.,... Knieling, F. (2022). Multispectral optoacoustic tomography for non-invasive disease phenotyping in pediatric spinal muscular atrophy patients. Photoacoustics, 25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2021.100315
- Schlereth, M., Stromer, D., Breininger, K., Wagner, A., Tan, L., Maier, A., & Knieling, F. (2022). Automatic Classification of Neuromuscular Diseases in Children Using Photoacoustic Imaging. In Klaus Maier-Hein, Thomas M. Deserno, Heinz Handels, Andreas Maier, Christoph Palm, Thomas Tolxdorff (Eds.), Informatik aktuell (pp. 285-290). Heidelberg, DEU: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH.
- Späth, M., Rohde, M., Ni, D., Knieling, F., Stelzle, F., Schmidt, M.,... Hohmann, M. (2022). The influence of the optical properties on the determination of capillary diameters. Scientific Reports, 12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04359-5
- Stirm, M., Fonteyne, L.M., Shashikadze, B., Stöckl, J.B., Kurome, M., Keßler, B.,... Wolf, E. (2022). Pig models for Duchenne muscular dystrophy – from disease mechanisms to validation of new diagnostic and therapeutic concepts. Neuromuscular Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmd.2022.04.005
- Tascilar, K., Fagni, F., Kleyer, A., Bayat, S., Heidemann, R., Steiger, F.,... Simon, D. (2022). NON-INVASIVE IN VIVO METABOLIC PROFILING OF INFLAMMATION IN JOINTS AND ENTHESES BY OPTOACOUSTIC IMAGING. In ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (pp. 1032-1032). LONDON: BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP.
- Tascilar, K., Fagni, F., Kleyer, A., Bayat, S., Heidemann, R., Steiger, F.,... Simon, D. (2022). Non-invasive metabolic profiling of inflammation in joints and entheses by multispectral optoacoustic tomography. Rheumatology. https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keac346
- Wachter, F., Regensburger, A., Peter, A.S., Knieling, F., Wagner, A., Simon, D.,... Rauh, M. (2022). Continuous monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children using residual blood samples from routine clinical chemistry. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2022-0037
2021
- Aguilar, C., Regensburger, A., Knieling, F., Wagner, A., Siebenlist, G., Wölfle, J.,... Jüngert, J.M. (2021). Pediatric Buried Bumper Syndrome: Diagnostic Validity of Transabdominal Ultrasound and Artificial Intelligence. Ultraschall in der Medizin. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1471-3039
- Regensburger, A., Brown, E., Krönke, G., Waldner, M., & Knieling, F. (2021). Optoacoustic Imaging in Inflammation. Biomedicines, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9050483
- Rüffer, A., Knieling, F., Cesnjevar, R., Regensburger, A., Purbojo, A., Dittrich, S.,... Jüngert, J.M. (2021). Equal cerebral perfusion during extended aortic coarctation repair. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, 61(2), 299-306. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejcts/ezab415
- Wagner, A., Danko, V., Federle, A., Klett, D., Simon, D., Heiß, R.,... Knieling, F. (2021). Precision of handheld multispectral optoacoustic tomography for muscle imaging. Photoacoustics, 21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2020.100220
- Wildner, D., Heinzerling, L., Scheulen, M.E., Kämpgen, E., Schuler, G., Strobel, D.,... Knieling, F. (2021). Assessment of sorafenib induced changes in tumor perfusion of uveal melanoma metastases with dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US). Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-021-03666-8
2020
- Knieling, F., Rüffer, A., Cesnjevar, R., Regensburger, A., Purbojo, A., Dittrich, S.,... Jüngert, J.M. (2020). Transfontanellar Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Monitoring Brain Perfusion During Neonatal Heart Surgery. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, 13(3), e010073-. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.119.010073
- Regensburger, A., Wagner, A., Claussen, J., Waldner, M., & Knieling, F. (2020). Shedding light on pediatric diseases: multispectral optoacoustic tomography at the doorway to clinical applications. Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40348-020-00095-4
- Regensburger, A., Wagner, A., Hanslik, G., Schuessler, S.C., Fahlbusch, F., Wölfle, J.,... Knieling, F. (2020). Ultra-high-frequency ultrasound in patients with spinal muscular atrophy: A retrospective feasibility study. Muscle & Nerve, 61(3), E18-E21. https://doi.org/10.1002/mus.26796