Goal
The goal of this track is to educate students in the basic concepts and application of a range of imaging techniques for studying biological systems, with a particular emphasis on in vivo imaging using positron emission tomography (PET). Graduating students should be well prepared for the many career opportunities in biological imaging (both in academia and industry) or for careers in a clinical nuclear medicine environment. This includes research in the areas of:
- Gamma ray detectors for PET and single photon imaging
- Image Reconstruction and Image Manipulation
- Quantification in PET imaging
- Imaging System Design and Construction:
- Development of miniature nuclear imaging systems (e.g. intra-operative applications)
- PET and single photon systems for small animal or breast imaging
- Dual modality imaging systems (e.g. PET/SPECT, PET/CT, PET/MRI, PET/Optical)
- Radionuclide Production and Development of Labeled Compounds for Biological Imaging:
- Synthesis and evaluation of radiolabled and fluorescently labeled compounds
- Pharmacology and biochemistry of radiolabeled and fluorescently labeled compounds
- Development of tracer kinetic models for new compounds
- Biological Imaging Applications:
- Parameter estimation in autoradiography and positron emission tomography
- Imaging gene expression with PET, autoradiography and MRI
- Structure determination using cryo-electron microscopy
- Pharmacology of brain and cardiac receptor systems
- Study of metabolism, blood flow, transport and synthesis in the brain and heart
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