About the Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute

The Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute will serve as a research catalyst for a new generation of translational and molecular imaging methodologies. Located in New York City, the Institute will apply imaging modalities in both preclinical basic science and clinical research settings to:

• Improve diagnostic accuracy
• Increase the understanding of pathophysiology and metabolism
• Measure therapeutic efficacy

The Institute supports collaborative opportunities by providing researchers and clinicians from our other institutes with greater and more comprehensive access to complex imaging equipment. The Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute will also support and integrate advances in imaging physics, engineering, nanomedicine and nanochemistry, and image analysis.

Equipment and technologies include:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)
• Computed tomography (CT)
• Positron emission tomography (PET)
• Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
• Emerging modalities such as bioluminescent and fluorescent imaging of intact organisms

Collaborative opportunities

The Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute is inventing and applying technologies that will enable breakthroughs in our other institutes. We facilitate the involvement of attending radiology physicians, residents, and clinical and basic researchers, resulting in well-coordinated and improved patient care.

For example, imaging specialists have long worked with Mount Sinai psychiatrists and cardiologists to diagnose and treat patients. The Institute will expand on this by enabling these interdisciplinary teams to develop diagnostic methods and treatments using neuroimaging and structural and functional MRI and MRS techniques. Alzheimer’s disease, mood disorders, and atherosclerosis are particularly promising targets for radiology.

Neuroscience

Functional MRI offers a noninvasive look into how the brain works, the areas that are connected, and how those regions communicate. New methods in nerve fiber assessment allow white matter tracking to show disruptions or changes during disease progression. Together, imaging experts and neuroscientists can identify brain activity differences between Alzheimer’s patients and healthy individuals, helping to identify patients at risk.

Nanomedicine Research Program

The mission of the nanomedicine research program is to establish nanotechnology based approaches for medical imaging and therapeutics. To this aim we have developed a range of multimodality nanoparticle platforms. All the platforms are based on assemblies of amphiphiles and functional materials. The main focus is on nanochemistry and novel nanoparticles as well as their application in experimental models of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Multimodal imaging is used to investigate the behavior of the new materials in vivo.

Cardiovascular studies

Mount Sinai pioneered the use of MRI to detect hidden plaque buildup within the arterial wall in a noninvasive way. Building on that work, collaborative research is now combining cardiovascular MRI with other technologies to investigate both the lumen and the vessel wall noninvasively.

Cancer detection and therapy

The long-term goal for the Institute in terms of cancer therapy is the development of image-agent tagged chemotherapies whose dosage or composition can be altered based on real-time measurements of tumor response. Treatments will target both the cellular and molecular levels.

Genetics

Based on Mount Sinai’s success in using microMR for cardiovascular and neurological studies, the Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute will develop MR technology opportunities for in vivo studies that visualize reporter gene expression in space and time.

Metabolic diseases

The Institute uses imaging to noninvasively assess insulin-resistant patients and learn how they differ from healthy individuals. We may also use imaging to examine how various diet and exercise programs return patients to their normal metabolisms, while radio- and MR-labeled compounds can map metabolic pathways noninvasively.

Researchers and clinicians have comprehensive access to cutting-edge imaging equipment, including MRI, PET, CT, and emerging modalities such as bioluminescent and fluorescent imaging. At the Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, we envision interdisciplinary collaboration and application of these technologies as key to building on our research capabilities, increasing our understanding of disease processes, and improving diagnostic accuracy.