Last Updated: 07/30/08
About the Associate Director
Overview
DCTD's Cancer Imaging Program (CIP) is an innovative biomedical program that encourages collaboration among experts in basic, translational, and clinical research to advance the understanding of cancer imaging and to create better diagnosis and treatment options for patients.
The role of imaging in cancer research is changing, and CIP is a catalyst for this transformation. Instead of the past focus on getting clearer and more detailed anatomic pictures of organs and tissues, the primary new thrust is on functional or molecular imaging, which visualizes the physiological, cellular, or molecular processes in living tissues, as they take place. In the next decade, CIP-sponsored research will not only contribute to the basic understanding of various cancers, but will enhance imaging's clinical role in noninvasive diagnosis, identification of disease subsets in patients, disease staging, and treatment monitoring.
CIP unites in a team approach researchers from disciplines as diverse as radiology, bioengineering, biology, chemistry, computer science and physics. The program encourages researchers to integrate and apply new imaging discoveries and developments to the study of cancer biology and to the clinical management of cancer and cancer risk. Originally formed as the Diagnostic Imaging Program in 1996, CIP's staff and administered grants are divided among four branches:
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Molecular Imaging
- Image-Guided Intervention
- Imaging Technology Development
CIP supports and advises innovative developers in academia and private industry as they create the next generation of imaging technology, including molecular probes, optical technology devices, and new contrast agents.
As part of its cutting-edge program, CIP plays a critical role in the activities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) related to emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology, proteomics, and high-throughput screening. In addition to funding projects in key areas, CIP supports researchers by providing pooled resources and developing protocols that encourage the sharing of data, samples, and results. CIP's portfolio included 347 funded grants during fiscal year 2005.
