Massachusetts General Hospital has announced the Center for Precision Imaging (CPI), associated with the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and led by Martinos Center investigator Umar Mahmood. Precision medicine is a burgeoning field in which health outcomes are optimized by specifically tailoring treatment to individual patients. CPI was established to explore the interface of precision medicine with the development of imaging methods as biomarkers that can be used to measure and guide the therapies.
The Center will achieve this by wielding novel imaging technologies and utilizing translational approaches including preclinical development, first-in-human testing and early phase clinical trials. Among the tools it will employ: novel nuclear and molecular imaging agents; hardware advances that enable imaging with higher spatial and temporal resolution and with greater efficiency; advances in software / reconstruction that incorporate data streams from combined imaging modalities; point-of-care devices that take advantage of advances in instrumentation and probe development; and machine learning algorithms developed in partnership with the Center for Clinical Data Science.
“As Center Director and Vice Chair for Precision Imaging, Dr. Umar Mahmood will advance precision imaging by leveraging these opportunities,” said Dr. James A. Brink, chief of Radiology at MGH. “With a strong track record in basic and translational molecular imaging research, Dr. Mahmood is well positioned to advance our precision imaging agenda. His position will also promote mentoring of radiology physician-scientists who may further advance this field in future generations of investigators. Moreover, he will pursue parallel opportunities to promote entrepreneurialism, with translational technologies incubated synergistically by basic science developers and translational radiologists.”