CMI Research

The science and engineering research projects within the CMI encompass:

• Developing, building, and translating NIR fluorescence imaging instrumentation and algorithms for multi-modality molecular imaging in preclinical and clinical studies
• Developing and applying tomographic algorithms for NIR tomography for small animal and human imaging
• Designing, producing, and validating unique NIR and nuclear imaging probes for assessing molecular pathways in preclinical studies and for enhanced diagnostics in Phase I and Phase I/II combination device/drug clinical studies.

The CMI basic science projects involve:

• New molecular imaging agents for non-invasive diagnostic imaging for nodal staging in breast, prostate, melanoma, and other cancers.
• Using molecular imaging to understand the process of lymphangiogenesis involved in cancer metastasis, infection, injury and trauma, vascular diseases, and hereditary disease in unique animal models.
• Evaluating molecular signaling in the process of tissue re-organization in health and disease, including bone fracture, atherosclerosis, and cancer.
• Combining molecular imaging and unique knockout animal models to understand the molecular genetics of disease.

Our ongoing clinical research currently focuses upon:

• Using NIR fluorescence imaging to phenotype lymphatic and lymphovascular dysfunction in human subjects for directing genotyping.
  • Information about lymphedema

Our research competencies are:

• A small animal imaging (CT/PET and optical tomography, Bioluminescence, Fluorescence using gene reporters, NIR fluorescence);
• A molecular probe development (Radio- and NIR fluorescence chemistries; gene reporters);
• The Photon Migration Laboratory (optical engineering and computational core)
• Regulatory, quality assurance, and compliance expertise for supporting Phase I and Phase I/II FDA applications from the CMI.