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 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.

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.