This program is comprised of projects that employ in vivo molecular and functional imaging or spectroscopic techniques to visualize various aspects of diabetes and obesity, endocrinology, metabolism and other metabolic diseases. Of particular interest are in vivo studies to image the pancreatic beta cell mass, perfusion, angiogenesis, inflammation and function; peripheral vascular or nerve function in diabetes; neuroimaging in the context of obesity research; inflammation in fat, skeletal muscle and liver in obesity; imaging mass and function of human brown adipose tissue; imaging indices of insulin resistance such as microvascular blood flow, etc. The emphasis will be on in vivo techniques (PET, MRI, Ultrasound, CT, optical tomography etc.) with applications serving to tag tissues and cells of interest; study biological processes in vivo; diagnose disease; or monitor progress during therapy. Included are imaging approaches to monitor physiological or metabolic processes, rate of metabolism, blood flow, sites of hormone action, etc.
For more information, contact Dr. Maren R. Laughlin, Senior Advisor for Integrative Metabolism.
