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Several researchers are involved with the FMIC project, including from left, Ashfaq Mahmood, Alun Jones, Geoffrey Young, Kelvin Wong, and Xiaoyin Xu, far right; Masanori Ichise and Stephen Wong are seated.
The Functional and Molecular Imaging Center (FMIC) of the BWH Biomedical Research Institute has received funding from the Ellison Medical Foundation for the initial phase of its new program for Alzheimer's disease research. FMIC Executive Director Stephen Wong, PhD, is the principal investigator, and his team includes Drs. Geoffrey Young, Masanori Ichise, Alun Jones, Ashfaq Mahmood, Jinmin Zhu, Kelvin Wong, Xiaoyin Xu, and Robert Bachoo from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The team will use microSPECT biochemistry imaging and microMRI functional and anatomical imaging to study genetically altered mice with mutations modeling Alzheimer's disease and mice with mutations modeling glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor. "These two diseases are currently believed to be unrelated, but our theory is that they share a common neurobiology," Wong said. The team will investigate the fundamental neurobiology of blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) in tumor formation and disease progression of the neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease with advanced imaging techniques. Sophisticated image informatics techniques will allow quantitation and fusion of different live-imaging technologies to bring insight to the underlying biology and pave the way for development of new tests and treatments for patients with brain cancer and dementia. FMIC provides core facilities for biomedical imaging research and facilitates the growth of imaging-based personalized medicine programs for major disease areas. It is a platform technology and resource for the Biomedical Research Institute.