Research Highlights

Showcase of NIBIB-Supported Research: 2006

Brain-Computer Interfaces Come Home: November 28, 2006
The first user-friendly, home version of a brain-computer interface system from the Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY, offers a much needed "voice" to those who are paralyzed. 

Imaging Gene Expression with Magnetic Resonance: October 23, 2006
By combining magnetic resonance imaging and optical imaging researchers can visualize cellular activity such as gene expression in live animals as well as detect the expression of enzymes that become active in cancer cells, cell death, and inflammation. 

New Contrast Agents Track Organ Rejection: September 25, 2006
Organ transplants often give patients a new lease on life. Critical to patient outcome is how well the body accepts the new organ. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are developing a new, non-invasive method to monitor organ rejection using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Faster Biopsy Results with New Microscope Array: August 30, 2006
Waiting a week or two for biopsy results can be unnerving, but a novel pathology slide scanner developed by engineers at Tucson, Arizona-based DMetrix Inc. is providing patients with same day biopsy results.

Biosensor Rapidly Identifies Urinary Tract Infections: July 25, 2006
Pinpointing the cause of painful urinary tract infections usually takes about 48 hours. A new biosensor promises to cut that time to 45 minutes or less, and offers patients the option of more accurate drug therapy.

Retooling a Research Career - From Engineering to Biology and Back: June 21, 2006
With a training grant from NIBIB, one researcher parlays a career spent developing instruments to track global warming into an opportunity to develop a novel method to image biological specimens, in particular to distinguish between normal and cancerous tissue.

Cardiac Patch - The Beat Goes On: May 31, 2006
Heart attacks rob the body’s central pump of oxygen which can lead to damaged tissue and reduced function. To address this problem, researchers are developing a "cardiac patch" - a piece of laboratory-grown heart tissue to replace a patient’s damaged heart tissue before the entire organ becomes diseased.

Tiny Neural Clamps Make Connections: April 26, 2006
Thanks to girls’ hair barrettes, researchers at Arizona State University have developed a device that may revolutionize ways to communicate with the peripheral nervous system, the body’s nerve network that sends messages to and from the brain and spinal cord. 

Magnetic Signals Reveal Fetal Development: March 28, 2006
Detecting pre-term neurological damage is just one goal for an innovative fetal assessment tool based on techniques to evaluate adult brain activity. 

Hybrid Imaging System Improves Minimally Invasive Procedures: February 9, 2006
The success of minimally invasive procedures depends in part on novel imaging systems. A hybrid X-ray/MRI system combines the best of both technologies and eliminates the need to shuttle patients back and forth between different imaging systems. 

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