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Department of Nuclear Medicine and Functional Imaging
  • Physicians, Physiologists, Biologists, Chemists, Physicists, and Computer Scientists working on common goals
  • Development of enabling technologies for identifying, producing, and imaging radiopharmaceuticals for non-invasive imaging in vivo. (DOE mission)
  • Use of those technologies to study specific organs and diseases, and the effects of therapy. (NIH mission)
  • Pivotal translational role between biological science and routine medical care

BERAC Sub-committee Report to the DOE Office of Science (April 2003)
“As we look into the future, we see rich promise for radiopharmaceutical research through exploiting rapid progress in imaging technology on one hand and the specific understanding of key molecules that are important in human disease, (i.e. molecular medicine)”

“In the decade ahead, there is a vision to create many more radiotracers, highly specific in nature, which can serve as tools for laboratory research as well as clinical applications”
The Dream

Development of a panel of molecular probes that can be used for the quantitative, non-invasive, in-vivo assay of

  • Cell surface signaling proteins
  • Structural proteins
  • Neuroreceptors
  • Enzymes
  • Molecular machines and protein/protein interactions
  • Gene expression (transcription)
  • Cell trafficking

with emphasis on those that are essential to disease processes
What is needed to make it happen
  • More Life Scientists dedicated to:
    • Identifying targets that are essential to disease processes
    • Understanding the aspects of protein structure necessary to design specific molecular probes for in-vivo imaging, and Using molecular dynamics to design or identify small molecular probes (computationally intensive)
    • Developing high-throughput (e.g. binding assays) for the identification of molecular probes
    • Validating new molecular probes in vitro
Associated Research Activities in the DOE Mission
  • Production
    • Improved labeling of molecular probes with radioactive, fluorescent, and NMR tags
    • Rapid, computer-controlled synthesis of radioactive probes
    • Validation of new probes in small animals and humans
  • Imaging
    • Improved PET and SPECT instrumentation (scintillators, photodetectors, custom ICs) for imaging radioactive probes in vivo
    • Simultaneous imaging of radioactive and fluorescent probes in small animals
    • Time-of-flight PET, enabled by developing a new class of ultra-fast scintillators
    • New high-field NMR systems for imaging metabolic activity and NMR probes
    • Improved data acquisition and analysis (e.g. motion compensation, special geometries)
    • Preclinical imaging studies using new molecular probes

Examples of NIH-Funded Research to Study Specific Organs and Diseases In Vivo
  • Oncology:
    • Whole-body imaging of tumors and the effect of therapy
    • Image the effect of therapeutic agents on individual tumors and normal tissues
    • Development of target-specific molecular probes for oncologic biomarkers (e.g. EGFR and ErbB2)
    • Imaging tumors in the breast and axillary nodes
    • Imaging tumors in the prostate
Examples of NIH-Funded Research to Study Specific Organs and Diseases In Vivo
  • Neuroscience
    • Imaging amyloid deposition and changes in the cholinergic system in Alzheimer's disease
    • Imaging the effects of gene therapy in Parkinson's disease
    • Imaging glial cells and the NMDA receptors to study the mechanism for inflammation in the brain which is believed to be related to neurodegeneration, trauma and stroke
    • Study of the relationship between aging, cognitive change, and neurochemistry
    • Imaging the effect of chemotherapy on brain function and structure in long term breast survivors
    • Imaging the effect of estrogen on brain function in post menopausal women
    • Developing new techniques for gene delivery to the CNS
    • Imaging to monitor gene delivery and gene expression

Examples of NIH-Funded Research to Study Specific Organs and Diseases In Vivo

  • Atherosclerosis and Ischemia
    The role of the inflammatory response
    Tracer to detect blood flow deficit in minimal disease (none currently exist)
    Blood perfused isolated rabbit heart to study effects of ischemia and therapeutic intervention
  • Progenitor Cells
    Imaging labeled bone marrow cells to study the renewal and repair of tissues in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, atherosclerosis, stroke and myocardial infarction
  • Bioengineering (NIBIB)
    Ultrasonic measurement of vascular properties
    Wireless biomonitoring

Available Resources in DNMFI

  • Modern whole-body PET and SPECT-XCT imagers
  • Breast, prostate, small animals imagers (available soon)
  • Medical cyclotron and radiolabeling facility
  • Animal colony, AAALAC approved


Examples of Accomplishments with Translational Impact

  • First dynamic positron emission tomography (PET)
  • First high resolution PET
  • Single gamma tomography (SPECT) shown to be quantitative
  • Reconstruction algorithm library
  • First cardiac SPECT and enabling Tl-201 dosimetry
  • Generator development: Rb-82, Ge-68, I-122
  • Role of neuroinflammation in trauma
  • Gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease
  • Safety guideline research for MRI standards
  • Efficacy of heavy ions for radiotherapy
  • New fast scintillators
  • Magic angle rotating field MRI