Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing
Core Area F
Berkeley and UCSF have long been at the forefront in biomedical imaging, assisted
today by the considerable resources available to both campuses, such as the
Center for Functional Imaging at LBNL and the Magnetic Resonance Science Center
at UCSF. Areas of bioengineering relevant to this field include instrumentation,
digital system design, sensor technology, signal and image processing, visualization,
and modeling of physiologic processes. Advances in imaging technology continue
to expand our understanding of such problems as neurodegenerative diseases,
osteoporosis, arthritis, psychiatric and behavioral disorders, cardiovascular
disease, and cancer.
The present major emphasis on quantitative analysis of morphometric and physiological
properties of biological systems has resulted in an increasing need for imaging
scientists with broad-based training in biological and engineering disciplines.
Those involved in this research field will design new instrumentation; develop
procedures to acquire microscopic, anatomic, and functional images; and implement
techniques for visualizing multi-dimensional data and quantitative image analysis.
Educational and research themes in this area include the use of imaging methods
to study macromolecular dynamics, cells, tissue matrices, and functioning organ
systems, such as the brain and heart. The instrumentation being developed and
applied to biological and medical problems includes new optical methods, X-ray
light source applications, high-field NMR, isotope imaging, and new methods
of ultrasound imaging.
Innovations under way at Berkeley include novel superconducting materials and
detectors; a new generation of laser-polarized and functionalized contrast agents;
isotope techniques and functional imaging; magnetic resonance imaging without
magnets; scanning, tunneling, and atomic force microscopy; laser techniques
for the microscopy of cells and manipulation of single cells and even single
molecules; time-resolved diffraction and microscopy of cells and molecules undergoing
biochemical change; and the development of novel optoelectronic materials and
nanoscale devices for observing and manipulating organisms, cells, and molecules.
The Center for Imaging and Microscopy of Molecules, Organisms, and Materials
would contribute to and benefit from current efforts in neuroscience, engineering,
analytical and environmental science, and materials science.
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