Biomedical & Molecular Imaging Track

The Biomedical & Molecular Imaging Track within the BME Graduate Program is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in engineering, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, or related physical science. The Track emphasizes the development and application of cutting-edge imaging technologies, molecular imaging probes, and image processing techniques. Through coursework, seminars, journal clubs, and their own research, students in the BMI Track will be exposed to a wide range of traditional and emerging imaging methodologies.

The current BMI faculty consists of basic scientists, biomedical engineers, and clinicians interested in developing new imaging methodologies in both basic and clinical research at scales ranging from the molecular level to the whole body. Examples of current NIH-funded research projects include:

Novel applications of noninvasive imaging including MRI, MRS, SPECT, PET, ultrasound, and optical imaging
Functional brain imaging using fMRI and near infrared imaging (NIR)
RF pulse sequence development for clinical MRI
Metabolic imaging using isotope tracers and NMR spectroscopy
MRI-guided high intensity focused ultrasound for tissue ablation and therapeutics
Responsive MR agents and targeted PET agents for imaging biological function in vivo
Molecular imaging of cancer using targeted nanoparticles
Combinatorial chemistry to identify and image biological targets

For more information on Future BMI Track meetings: Future BMI Open House

Faculty

Asaithamby Aroumougame, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Immunotherapy and Radiotherapy in cancer prevention and treatment; Premature aging and carcinogenesis; DNA damage response signaling in heart development

Shawn C. Burgess, Ph.D.
Research Interests: NMR spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy in conjunction with the application of stable isotope tracers to study metabolic function

David Busch, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Developing non-and minimally-invasive optical tools to monitor deep tissues in health and disease, as well as throughout therapy.

Changho Choi, Ph.D.
Research Interests: In vivo 1H and 13C MR spectroscopy; MRS applications in brain tumors and neuropsychiatric diseases; MR physics and MR method development

Rajiv Chopra, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Development of MR guided high intensity focused ultrasound for preclinical and clinical imaging

Ian R. Corbin, Ph.D., M.Sc.
Research Interests: Molecular imaging techniques and nanomedicine technology development to better understand and characterize liver disease

Reto Fiolka, Ph.D.
Research Interests: The long-term goal of our lab’s research is to develop and implement imaging technologies that provide unprecedented insight into cancer biology.

Jinming Gao, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Activatable optical/MRI imaging probes to study tumor metabolism and theranostic nanomedicine for cancer-targeted drug therapy

Connie Hsia, M.D.
Research Interests: Heart-lung interaction; lung morphometry; structure-function correlation of lung growth

Xun Jia, Ph.D.
Research Interests: High-performance computing for radiation therapy and medical imaging. Radiation dose calculation. Monte Carlo simulation. 3D/4D Cone beam CT reconstruction. Image guided radiation therapy.

Steve Jiang, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Cloud and GPU-based high performance computing in medical physics and imaging; automatic radiotherapy treatment planning; adaptive radiotherapy; image guided radiotherapy; low-dose and dynamic cone beam CT

Wen Jiang, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Interests: Focuses on treating cancer sites of the central nervous system with radiation

Eunsook Jin, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Intermediary metabolism in vivo using NMR spectroscopy

Zoltan Kovacs, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Generation and application of hyperpolarized ¹³C-labeled compounds and ⁸⁹Y-complexes for MRI/Radiopharmaceutical applications

Robert Lenkinski, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Clinical applications of in vivo MRS, development of MR, radiotracer and optical based imaging contrast agents for imaging

Wen-Hong Li, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Engineering probes and assays for monitoring islet beta cell mass or function in vivo; Physiological regulation of hormone secretion in pancreatic islets; Functional analysis of microRNA.

Ananth Madhuranthakam, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Development of novel MR imaging techniques for whole-body cancer screening and staging

Craig Malloy, M.D.
Research Interests: ¹³C MRS methods for measuring cardiac intermediary metabolism flux and function analysis, Neurotransmitter metabolism of human brain

Ralph P. Mason, Ph.D., C.Sci., C.Chem.
Research Interests: Tumor pathophysiology and MR assessment of prognostic biomarkers, hypoxia, and pH

Roderick McColl, Ph.D.
Research Interests: fMRI; DICOM

Albert Montillo, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Developing state-of-the-art machine learning approaches to extract radiological imaging and imaging-genomic biomarkers for individualized prognostics in neuroscience and oncological applications

Orhan K. Öz, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Interests: Application of structural (X-ray, CT and MR) and functional (SPECT and PET) imaging methods to quantify changes in bone mass and metabolism induced by metabolic bone diseases; In vivo assessment of beta cell mass and function by novel probes; Novel PET and SPECT probe development for bone cells

Ivan Pedrosa, M.D.
Research Interests: Development of novel MRI techniques for improved diagnosis of abdominal/pelvic diseases and noninvasive in-vivo assessment of physiology and response to therapy in tumors

Matthias Peltz, M.D.
Research Interests: Heart, lung and perfusion preservation, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Fangyu Peng, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Interests: Translational cancer imaging and therapy, including identification of new targets for molecular cancer imaging with PET-CT and targeted cancer therapy

Matthew Petroll, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Cell motility and mechanics, corneal repair and regeneration, in vivo confocal imaging

Satwick Rajaram, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Spatial organization of tumors by combining machine identified phenotypes and existing pathology scoring within the framework established by cancer biology

Neil Rofsky, M.D.
Research Interests: Translation of novel MR imaging methods (arterial spin labeling, diffusion, perfusion) to important problems in clinical medicine

Dean Sherry, Ph.D.
Research Interests: MRS studies of intermediary metabolism in intact tissues, development of MRI molecular imaging agents

Xiankai Sun, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Development of PET, SPECT, and MRI imaging probes to assess biological abnormalities and evaluation of disease treatment

Elena Vinogradov, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Endogenous and exogenous MRI contrast agents and mechanisms in-vivo, CEST and PARACEST imaging, hyperpolarization.

Jing Wang, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Tomographic image reconstruction; Cone-beam computed tomography; Image-guided radiation therapy; Medical imaging processing
Guanghua Xiao, Ph.D.
Research Interests: My methodology research is focused on model development for high-dimensional data such as gene expression, epigenomics, copy number variation, proteomics, genome-wide RNAi functional screening data and brain image data.

Takeshi Yokoo, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Interests: Applied mathematics and MRI methods for translational research in liver imaging with special focus of evaluation of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

Associate Members

These faculty members do not accept graduate students. They participate in teaching, co-mentoring, exam and dissertation committees, and all other program activities.

Jeffrey Cadeddu, M.D.
Research Interests: Urology; laparoscopy, telesurgical mentoring

Gerald Greil, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Interests: Evaluate the use of newly designed biodegradable stent to treat pulmonary artery stenosis

Mohammed Hussain, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Interests: Cardiac imaging and modelling to improve outcomes in pediatric and congenital heart disease

Wen Jiang, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Interests: Focuses on treating cancer sites of the central nervous system with radiation

Matthew Lewis, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Molecular imaging instrumentation, linear and nonlinear diffraction tomography, tensor tomography, applied inverse problems

Li Liu, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Development of reporter genes and evaluation of different gene reporter’s

Jae Mo Park, Ph.D.
Research Interests Development of noninvasive molecular imaging tools to elucidate in vivo metabolism

Durga Udayakumar, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Radiogenomics with a special focus on identifying imaging measures extracted from quantitative MRI parameters as a noninvasive tool to better predict biological characteristics in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Jimin Ren, Ph.D.
Research Interests: In vivo MRS for studies of energy and phospholipids metabolism in brain and skeletal muscle.

Debabrata Saha, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Role of Cycloxygenase-2 in radiation and chemo-resistance, role of small molecule inhibitors as radio-sensitizers

Todd Soesbe, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Clinical applications of new Spectral CT technologies

Rathan Subramaniam, M.D., Ph.D.

Animesh Tandon, M.D., M.S.
Research Interests: MRI imaging in pediatric cardiology; 3D printing and computer modeling of congenital heart disease; predictive analytics on continuous data for pediatric cardiology

Ming Yang, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Range uncertainty reduction, tissue contouring using DECT, optimization for ion radiation therapy