Radiology Research Labs

Penn Center for Biomedical Imaging (CBI) is established as a type 1 center in 2011. It serves as a central focus for biomedical imaging research at the University of Pennsylvania. The CBI is organized into a Basic Imaging Research Division, Translational Research Division, and imaging Core Facilities. The Basic Research Division includes laboratories focused on basic imaging methodology. The Translational Division includes programs developed in collaboration with disease oriented centers focused on the application of imaging to basic biomedical research and to advance clinical care. The CBI administration operates a range of core facilities to support investigators interested in biomedical imaging. The cores include clinical MRI, PET, SPECT, US and CT scanners; a comprehensive small animal imaging facility; and support for research coordinators, protocol development and image analysis.

Click on any of the lab names below to read a short description and access additional information about that lab.

  • CAMRIS

    The Committee for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy (CAMRIS) Committee works to establish policies and procedures for the research use of MR Scanners within the Department of Radiology. Its two-fold mission is to review proposed research protocols involving human or animal study.

    Learn more about the CAMRIS.

  • CACTIS

    The Center for Advanced Computed Tomography Imaging Services (CACTIS) works to establish policies and procedures for the research use of Computed Tomography (CT) scanners within the Department of Radiology. Our mission is to oversee proposed research protocols involving human or animal studies. This process has two major goals:

    1. To ensure all research performed on the CT scanners comply with CACTIS and University policy and Federal Regulations.
    2. To determine that CACTIS can maintain the resources to carry out each research protocol: including personnel, software, hardware and scan time.

    Learn more about the CACTIS.

  • Computational Breast Imaging Group

    The Computational Breast Imaging Group acts as a translational catalyst between the worlds of computation imaging science and clinical breast cancer research by integrating image analysis, pattern recognition and data mining in clinically relevant breast imaging applications.

    Learn more about the Computational Breast Imaging Group.

  • Cardiovascular Research Group

    The Cardiovascular Research Group develops and applies novel MR imaging in analysis tools for the study of cardiovascular function and flow.

    Learn more about the Cardiovascular Research Group.

  • Center for Functional Neuroimaging

    The Center for Functional Neuroimaging provides support for functional neuroimaging research at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to providing administrative support for initiatives, the CFN will advance technical capabilities for functional neuroimaging and provide technical support for functional neuroimaging users through committees and mailing lists comprised of members with specific expertise.

    Learn more about the Center for Functional Neuroimaging.

  • CTII

    The Center for Translational Imaging Informatics (CTII) converts innovative imaging information technologies developed by the basic informatics research laboratories in the Department of Radiology into software applications and systems that can be evaluated and used in the clinical environment.

    Learn more about the CTII.

  • Laboratory of Molecular Imaging

    The Laboratory of Molecular Imaging focuses on animal imaging. The intruments that we basically administer are the animal NMR instruments — a vertical bore 9.4 T/8.9 cm Varian Anova and a horizontal bore 4.7 T/50 cm Varian Anova. The other imaging core facilities that are included in the animal imaging program are: Optical Imaging, Bioluminescence, micro-PET/SPECT, micro-CT, and ultrasound as well as the Chemistry and Molecular Biology Cores.

    Learn more about the Laboratory of Molecular Imaging.

  • LMMRI

    The Laboratory for Multinuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (LMMRI) research interests are in developing novel magnetic resonance (MR) pulse sequences and strategies for non-invasive measurement of physiological and functional parameters in pathologies such as arthritis, tumors and Alzheimer's disease.

    Learn more about the LMMRI.

  • Lab for Structural NMR Imaging

    Research of the Laboratory for Structural NMR Imaging is aimed at quantitatively characterizing tissue microarchitecture and its relationship to physiology and function by means of spatially resolved nuclear magnetic resonance in animals and humans. The current focus of the Laboratory is on the development of new methods for the quantitative assessment of metabolic bone disease by means of the MR-based "virtual bone biopsy", and new methods for the study of tissue mineralization. A second line of research focuses on the quantification of carotid artery disease and its implications on brain perfusion. Additional projects deal with ultrahigh-resolution microscopy of neuronal architecture in spinal cord injury models as well as methods for indirect assessment of tissue microstructure by means of diffusion diffraction, anisotropic dipolar relaxation and multiple quantum coherence imaging.

    Learn more about the Lab for Structural NMR Imaging.

  • MICL

    The Molecular Imaging Chemistry Lab's (MICL) main focus is the development of tools for molecular imaging and photodynamic therapy.

    Learn more about the MICL.

  • MICD

    Molecular Imaging of Cardiovascular Diseases (MICD) lab focuses on the development and application of molecular imaging technologies to study the cardiovascular diseases and mechanisms of their responses to therapies.

    Learn more about the MICD lab.

  • Medical Informatics Group (MIG)

    The Medical Informatics Group pursues innovative research in field of imaging informatics. This includes studies and research on the outcome effects of filmless radiology, cross-institutional image sharing, data integration strategies, structured reporting, decision support, and image processing. We are also involved in the design and implementation of patient-centric electronic medical records, diagnostic imaging workstations, utilization of digital displays (PACS), and web-based distribution of images and reports throughout the Health System.

    Learn more about the Medical Informatics Group or MIG.

  • MIPG

    The Medical Imaging Section, historically known as the Medical Image Processing Group (MIPG), conducts full-time medically relevant research in imaging science and offers training to students and post-doctoral fellows. The sections's research has three primary goals:

    1. To advance the state of knowledge in the mathematical theory and computer algorithms for tomographic images reconstruction and for the three-dimensional (3-D) visualization and analysis of multidimensional, multiparametric, multimodality image data
    2. To develop transportable software systems for tomographic reconstruction and for 3-D visualization and analysis of medical image data
    3. To develop new medical applications for the methods of 3-D visualization and analysis for improved diagnosis, treatment, understanding and education of abnormalities in internal structures and in their function.

    Learn more about the MIPG.

  • MMRRCC

    Since its inception in 1984 the NIH funded Metabolic Magnetic Resonance Research and Computing Center (MMRRCC), a Regional Resource, has made dramatic contributions to the technological advancements and biomedical impact of magnetic resonance.

    The center has developed four broad areas of core research. Multinuclear MR techniques, the development of improved, quantitative perfusion and diffusion imaging and its comparison with PET, MR of hyperpolarized gases and its potential for the study of pulmonary disease, novel contrast generation using zero-quantum coherences, and imaging of tissue microstructure and combining optical and MR imaging techniques for the study of neurophysiology, peripheral vascular disease, and breast cancer.

    Learn more about the MMRRCC.

  • Nuclear Medicine Physics & Instrumentation Group

    Penn has a long history of development of nuclear-medicine instrumentation in both SPECT and PET dating back to the pioneering work of David Kuhl, MD, in the 1970s.The Nuclear Medicine Physics and Instrumentation Research Group strives to continue this tradition in an environment that encourages basic scientists and clinicians to collaborate in both the design and development of new instruments as well as the translation of these instruments for new applications in both clinical and pre-clinical (animal) imaging situations.

    Learn more about the Nuclear Medicine Physics and Instrumentation Group lab.

  • PET Center

    The PET Facility at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has three scanner rooms, a control room, a computer room, hot lab and a blood lab for sampling and counting. The PET instrumentation lab at Penn is responsible for several seminal developments in PET instrumentation.

    Learn more about the PET Center.

  • PICSL

    The Penn Imaging & Computer Science Lab is at the forefront of research and education in all of the quantitative methods represented, including segmentation, registration, morphometry and shape statistics, with numerous interdisciplinary collaborations spanning a variety of organ systems and all of the major and emerging modalities in biological/biomaterials imaging and in vivo medical imaging.

    Learn more about the PICSL.

  • RADCORE

    Radiology Clinical Core Facility (RADCORE) was created in early 2007 by Dr. Mitch Schnall, director of Radiology Research. His vision was to create a highly qualified and well educated pool of coordinators within the department of radiology.

    Learn more about the RADCORE.

  • Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section

    The Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section is a multidisciplinary research and education group in the Department of Radiology. The focus of the group is the development of new radiopharmaceuticals that provide diagnostic information on various organs in normal and disease states. Current research interests include developing imaging agents for CNS receptors (dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitter systems), agents for imaging Alzheimer's disease, and neuronal functional imaging of the heart. Major research activity comprises a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines: drug design, organic synthesis, radiochemistry, receptor pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and physics and instrumentation of gamma imaging tomography devices.

    Learn more about the Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry Section.

  • RADIANCE

    RADIANCE is an open-source software pipeline designed to automatically extract and archive CT dose-related parameters from the dose sheets produced by CT scanners. The power of RADIANCE is its ability to extract information from dose sheets produced by legacy CT scanners that cannot generate DICOM Dose SR structured reports.

    Learn more about the Radiation Dose Intelligent Analytics for CT Examinations.

  • SAIF

    Small Animal Imaging Facility (SAIF) is a core facility providing multi-modality radiological imaging and image analysis for small animals, mostly mice and rats, to the research community at University of Pennsylvania and surrounding institutions.

    Learn more about the SAIF.

  • SBIA

    The Section for Biomedical Image Analysis (SBIA) is devoted to research in image analysis, including image segmentation, image registration, shape analysis, and pattern classification of medical and biological images. Areas of special interest include computational anatomy, population-based analyses in imaging studies, image modeling and analysis applied to surgical planning, and methods for small animal phenotyping from tomographic images.

    Learn more about the SBIA.

  • Ultrasound Research Laboratory

    The Department of Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania houses a state-of-the-art Ultrasound Research Laboratory for conducting clinical and pre-clinical research. The goals of the research laboratory are:

    1. To develop new ultrasound technologies and clinical applications.
    2. To bridge the gap between technology and clinical applications.
    3. To provide ultrasound imaging resources to other research groups within the university and in other institutions.

    Learn more about the Ultrasound Research Laboratory.

  • X-ray Physics Lab

    The central focus of the X-ray Physics Lab is on the development of advanced methods for breast cancer imaging, including digital mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT).

    Learn more about the X-ray Physics Lab.