NIBIB-Supported Biomedical Technology Resource Centers

The focus of this resource is to develop very high frequency (above 20 MHz) ultrasonic transducers/arrays for applications in medicine and biology that include ophthalmology, dermatology, vascular surgery, and small animal imaging. The research is pursued simultaneously in three directions: novel piezoelectric materials, very high frequency single element transducers and linear arrays, and finite element modeling and material property measurements.

The Biomedical Simulations Resource (BMSR) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California is dedicated to the advancement of the state-of-the-art in biomedical modeling and simulation through Core and Collaborative Research projects, as well as the dissemination of this knowledge and related software through Service, Training and Dissemination activities aimed at the biomedical community at large. The BMSR includes four core research projects:Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Systems Analysis – David Z. D'Argenio, Ph.D., Co-DirectorNonlinear Modeling of Complex Biomedical Systems – Vasilis Z. Marmarelis, Ph.D., Co-DirectorModeling of Autonomic, Metabolic and Vascular Control Interactions – Michael C.K. Khoo, Ph.D., Co-InvestigatorNonlinear Modeling of the Hippocampus – Theodore W. Berger, Ph.D., Co-InvestigatorFifteen Collaborative Research Projects serve as challenging test grounds for the Resource's methodologies and expertise. The BMSR's service activities include the development and distribution of four software packages (ADAPT, LYSIS, PNEUMA +amp; EONS).The Resource's Training and Dissemination activities include short courses, advanced workshops and the publication of associated research volumes.

The Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI²R) develops novel imaging technologies for the improved management of cancer, musculoskeletal disease, and neurological disease, employing a unique new model for interdepartmental and academic-industrial collaboration to translate those technologies rapidly into clinical practice.  By exploiting connections between imaging modalities such as MRI and PET, we aim to advance the fundamental capabilities of each, so as to expand biomedical knowledge and improve the care of patients.  CAI²R technology development aims at a new use of time in imaging, deploying leading-edge methods of rapid image acquisition and advanced image reconstruction to replace traditional complex and inefficient imaging protocols with simple, comprehensive, volumetric acquisitions that contain rich information about multiple complementary biophysical processes.  CAI²R is driven by collaborations in which basic scientists, industry developers, radiologists, and clinicians with diverse other specialties sit down together regularly at the scanners and in reading rooms for interactive technology development and assessment.  This interdisciplinary collaboration model also informs our training activities, many of which are addressed at the formation and operation of successful translational research teams.  Meanwhile, not only through online sharing of state-of-the-art tools on our CAI²R website, but also through early involvement of clinical stakeholders and industry partners interested in bringing new methods into everyday use, we aim to make CAI²R technologies available to the broadest possible base of clinical and research users.  Our overarching goal in CAI²R is to change the paradigms of data acquisition, image reconstruction, and day-to-day scanning in biomedical imaging, for the benefit of patients and the physicians who care for them.

The Center for Reproducible Neuroimaging Computation seeks to implement a shift in the way neuroimaging research is performed and reported. Through the development and implementation of a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable, Wilkinson et al., 2016) technology stack that supports a comprehensive set of data management, analysis, and utilization frameworks in support of both basic research and clinical activities, our overarching goal is to improve the reproducibility of neuroimaging science and extend the value of our national investment in neuroimaging research. Reproducibility is critical because the current literature is fraught with published results that are due to mistakes or turn out to be false positive (contributed to by the lack of statistical power). More importantly, given the current publication system, it is exceedingly difficult to discern between false positive and true positive finding as data is hard to aggregate, and exact methods are hard to replicate.

This Center will develop, investigate, and disseminate new hyperpolarized MR techniques, new 13C agents and specialized analysis open-source software for data reconstruction and interpretation. The Technology Research +amp; Development projects will leverage the extensive DNP facilities and experience of the project leaders to develop improved, robust hyperpolarized MRI methods. These technology developments will be driven by Collaborative Projects led by outstanding clinical and basic scientists who aim to use hyperpolarized 13C MRI to accomplish the scientific goals of their funded research. These technical developments will also be disseminated to the Service Project investigators for extramural feedback and then widely to the scientific community via a dedicated website and onsite training. This center will provide state-of-the-art training in this new metabolic imaging field and sponsor a yearly symposium focused on hyperpolarized MR technology development.

The Center for In Vivo Microscopy (CIVM) is dedicated to the development of novel imaging methods for the basic scientist and the application of the methods to important biomedical questions. The CIVM has played a major role in the development of magnetic resonance microscopy with specialized MR imaging systems capable of imaging at more than 500,000x higher resolution than is common in the clinical domain. The CIVM was the first to demonstrate MR images using hyperpolarized 3He which has been moved from mouse to man with recent clinical trials performed at Duke in collaboration with GE. More recently the CIVM has developed the molecular imaging workbench---a system dedicated to multimodality cardiopulmonary imaging in the rodent. Our collaborators are employing these unique imaging systems in an extraordinary range of mouse and rat models of neurologic disease, cardiopulmonary disease and cancer to illuminate the underlying biology and explore new therapies.

The MIT Laser Biomedical Research Center (LBRC) develops the basic scientific understanding and new techniques required for advancing the clinical applications of lasers and spectroscopy. To fulfill the significant and ever growing need for a more comprehensive and potentially non-invasive understanding of the human body, the LBRC merges optical spectroscopy, imaging, scattering, and interferometry techniques. Specifically, researchers at the LBRC study the biophysics and biochemistry of healthy and diseased biological structures from the subcellular to the entire-organ scale. For example, spectral diagnosis instruments based on near-infrared Raman scattering, intrinsic fluorescence, diffuse reflectance, and single light scattering provide complementary data on human disease. Combining these techniques into a single, multimodal instrument is applied for diagnostics in various organs, including cervix, oral cavity, Barrett's esophagus, artery, breast, skin, as well as for transcutaneous measurements of blood constituents. The LBRC has been and continues to be a pioneer in the field of developing novel optical probes for use under direct visualization or with endoscopes and biopsy devices.Similarly, new microscopy tools based on interferometry are designed and exploited for measuring cellular structures and their dynamics. In particular, these techniques provide the crucial and unique ability to non-invasively study cells in their native states at remarkably high spatial and temporal resolutions. Using these novel microscopy tools, the LBRC has conducted critical studies to elucidate the fundamental biology of diseases as diverse as malaria and multiple myeloma, and physiological processes such as cell growth and cell division. The interferometry concepts have also been vital in Center’s research efforts to develop optical tools for deep-tissue imaging while minimizing the adverse effects of light scattering or diffusion. Furthermore, the unique and powerful combination of the interferometric microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy tools adds a hitherto unexplored dimension to optical sensing by simultaneous probing of morphological and chemical information.A unique feature of the LBRC is its ability to form strong clinical collaborations with outside investigators in areas of common interest that further the Center's mandated research objectives. A major focus of these collaborations is to rapidly translate the novel photonic technologies introduced at the LBRC into the clinic and potentially into the field. Another focal point of the collaborations is to enable external researchers to exploit laser-based techniques for medical applications such as the spectral diagnosis of disease, investigation of biophysical and biochemical properties of cells and tissues, and development of novel imaging techniques.

The Columbia University Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF) is a dedicated facility for radiobiological research with available ionizing radiations such as protons, alpha particles, and neutrons. RARAF is well-established and highly user-friendly. The focus of RARAF is the development of high-throughput single-cell/single-particle microbeams, which can deliver defined amounts of ionizing radiation into individual cells with a spatial resolution of a few microns or better. The ability of a microbeam to put double strand break damage at any specific known location in a given cell has allowed new approaches to the study of damage signaling.

The National ESCA and Surface Analysis Center for Biomedical Problems (NESAC/BIO) provides state-of-the-art surface analysis expertise, instrumentation, experimental protocols, and data analysis methods to address surface-related biomedical problems. NESAC/BIO develops and applies surface science methodologies that produce a full understanding of the surface composition, structure, spatial distribution, and orientation of biomaterials and adsorbed biomolecules. The NESAC/BIO program identifies areas where surface science must evolve to keep pace with the growth in biochemical knowledge and biomaterial fabrication technology, and develops instrumentation, experimental protocols, and data analysis methods to achieve this evolution.