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April

April 11: NIBIB Will Conduct Regional Grantsmanship Seminar

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) will hold a regional Grantsmanship Seminar on Friday, April 11, 2008. This event will be hosted by the Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation and the Department of Biomedical Engineering and co-sponsored by the Office of the CIO and Vice Provost for Information Technology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

This Granstmanship Seminar is intended to provide an overview of NIBIB funding opportunities and the NIH application, review and grant-making processes and policies. We invite faculty, researchers, students, and others interested in research opportunities in bioengineering, biomedical imaging, and research training opportunities at the NIH to attend.

The one-day program includes presentations by institute staff providing overviews of the NIBIB and the NIH, NIBIB research and training programs and opportunities, the NIH peer review process, and a grant writing workshop.

If you are interested in attending the Grantsmanship Seminar please register via the website listed below. Registration is free but attendance will be limited by room size to approximately 200 people.

To register or view the full agenda, visit http://www.cio.wisc.edu/events/researchconf/nibib/.

Contact Stacy Wallick (wallicks@mail.nih.gov) for questions concerning the seminar program and bmehelp@bme.wisc.edu for questions concerning the seminar logistics.

April 4: Bioimaging's New Dynamic Duo: PET/MRI Integration

Seeking to exploit the best features of two different bioimaging systems, researchers in Dr. Simon Cherry’s molecular imaging lab at the University of California Davis (UC Davis), are combining two very familiar technologies—positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—to create a more versatile imaging tool. With collaborative contributions from Dr. Russell Jacob’s team at the California Institute of Technology and Dr. Bernd Pichler of Tubingen University in Germany, results of this tandem PET/MRI research, which is sponsored by NIBIB, indicate this new technology could lead to improvements in many aspects of health care, as well as in basic research.

Both imaging systems have unique strengths that compliment each other. For example, PET is much more sensitive than MRI. Because it can zero in on very faint signals emitted by radioactively labeled sugar molecules that enter cancer cells, PET is often used to locate tumors. On the other hand, one of MRI’s strengths is its ability to produce clearly defined images of anatomical structures and soft tissues, which can provide critical information such as changes in the size of a tumor following treatment.

This team imaging approach has potential to help new treatments get from the laboratory to the patient’s point of care in less time. Dr. Cherry explains, “These two technologies are powerful allies in the evaluation of new medical therapies in animal models where the detailed information they provide on the distribution and action of a drug can help improve the success of the translation of new therapies into the clinic.”

Today, many physicians use data from these two imaging modalities to evaluate anatomy, physiology, cellular metabolism, molecular targets and pathways, and even gene expression. This information helps build a strong foundation of evidence for biological or medical evaluation that helps doctors determine, and monitor, a medical course of action. Moreover, these systems allow clinicians to peer deep into the body without performing surgery or other invasive techniques.

With all this in mind, one might ask why researchers have not previously combined these modalities, especially given the success of other combined imaging systems such as PET and x-ray computed tomography (CT). The answer to that question lies in the many ways that the two systems can interfere with each other and distort the images that are recorded. For example the detectors used in most PET scanners are extremely sensitive to magnetic fields and will not operate inside the strong magnetic field of an MRI scanner. Furthermore, in order to obtain a clear MRI image, its magnetic field must be stable and uniform, but the mere placement of PET detectors within the scanner can disrupt the magnetic field.

For these reasons, PET and MRI scans have previously been done independently, but the problem in using these imaging systems independently is that the process of accurately weaving both sets of information together can be very difficult. The process works fairly well in applications such as brain imaging where there is little potential for movement or change in position, but the true challenge arises in locations such as the chest or abdomen where movement can be problematic, and if MRI and PET data cannot be matched or “registered” perfectly, interpretation of images can be difficult. Furthermore, much important biological information would be revealed about dynamic processes if we had the ability to observe such events using both systems at the same time. Therefore, development of a dual system capable of providing simultaneous PET and MRI scans is a great benefit in situations where movement is inevitable, and it also provides the added benefit of real-time, dual-imaging observations of physiological processes.

Realizing the tremendous benefits of such a system, researchers at UC Davis have designed a new integrated PET/MRI scanner that positions a PET scanner within the MRI scanner, while also minimizing the interference between the two systems by employing special materials and clever design strategies. For example, the new integrated PET system’s data is decoded using special solid-state detectors (developed by Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., with NIH and Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research funding) that can tolerate the strong magnetic fields inside the MRI. Detectors are also shielded by a high-frequency copper laminate and kept at a constant, cool negative 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) to optimize results. Additionally, the short optical fiber bundles are positioned precisely to further minimize interference. A convenient feature of the new system is that the PET scanner insert fits many commercially available MRI systems and can be easily removed from the MRI scanner so that the units can be used separately, if necessary.

Initial studies have clearly demonstrated the promise of the PET/MRI technology, and Dr. Cherry predicts, “While the technology will continue to improve and mature, the spotlight will now shift to finding unique ways to use this integrated technology to learn new things about the biology of disease and the best way to use PET/MRI for early diagnosis and to monitor treatment response.”

Researchers already predict that the new system has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of the origins and evolution of disease processes, such as cancer, Alzheimers, and bone disease. It will also help monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatments, locate metastases in soft tissues, and give clues about tumor physiology and the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.

Dual-modality imaging can yield data that automatically match up in time and space because both PET and MRI imaging scans of the same body regions are done at exactly the same time. Even in brain tissues where independent use of these technologies has been very useful, the new system can do more, such as PET analysis of glucose metabolism while MRI images evaluate constriction or dilation of blood vessels.

As for nurturing this fledgling technology to its full potential, this collaborative research team is already working on it. The integrated PET/MRI system is now being used for preclinical research, and the UC Davis team is developing ways to further improve on their prototype technology by increasing the spatial resolution and sensitivity of the PET component.

So even just as the nuptial ceremonies are coming to a close and the union of these imaging systems is sealed, investigators are brainstorming about the many possibilities for its future. And just like Dr. Charles Townes’s famous invention, the laser, the full potential of PET/MRI integration will only be realized as its offspring emerge from the pipeline of this new wave of technology, arriving as creative new technologies in their own right in the healthcare of our future.

If you would like to learn more about Genomic Imaging research at UC Davis, see Dr. Cherry's web site at: http://www.bme.ucdavis.edu/profiles/cherry.html, or see, "Simultaneous in vivo positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging" at : http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/105/10/3705.

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