A revolution in biological imaging at the cellular and whole animal level is taking place, and VICB researchers are partnering with the Vanderbilt Institute of Imaging Science to maximize opportunities in this emerging field.

Many imaging modalities require contrast agents or chemical labels to highlight the protein or structure of interest. Ron Baldwin’s expertise in positron emission tomography is directed towards developing new radiotracer molecules to be used with that increasing important imaging modality. Wellington Pham works with all imaging modalities in his goal to develop new molecular probes for cancer detection. Larry Marnett’s goal is also cancer detection, but he focuses primarily on developing probes to detect the enzyme, cyclooxygenase-2, which is expressed at unusually high levels in most tumor tissues.

Dave Piston has developed multiphoton excitation fluorescence imaging modalities, which he uses to study glucose metabolism and insulin secretion in beta cells of intact pancreatic islets. Richard Caprioli is revolutionizing the field of protein metabolism through his use of mass spectrometry to image proteins in situ in intact tissues. Sandy Rosenthal’s fluorescent nanocrystals are designed to monitor the expression and function of neurotransmitter receptor and transporter proteins. These imaging molecules promise to help unlock key aspects of neuronal signaling that plays a role in such fundamental processes as mood, sleep, appetite, and aggression.

Image Source: Wellington Pham Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, "Tracking the Migration of Dendritic Cells In Vivo."

 

 

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