Project Profile

The advent of cellular and molecular-based detection and therapeutic technologies has begun to transform the way we think about human disease. Instead of relying only on clinical evaluation and general physiologic markers to detect disease and select... more »

The advent of cellular and molecular-based detection and therapeutic technologies has begun to transform the way we think about human disease. Instead of relying only on clinical evaluation and general physiologic markers to detect disease and select therapy, physicians are beginning to use cellular and molecular biomarkers of disease to select and even to design the optimized therapeutic regime for an individual patient. To achieve the promise of this approach requires tools to detect molecular and cellular markers of disease in vivo and to monitor their modulation in response to therapy. Cellular and molecular imaging have the ability to dynamically visualize biomarkers of disease in single living cells and tissues with microscopic resolution, yielding a fundamental change in the way we diagnose disease, and select and monitor therapy. To achieve the promise of cellular and molecular imaging requires engineers and scientists with a wide breadth of skills in imaging science, contrast agent development, and design of tools to monitor cellular and molecular-based therapeutics.

The goal of this IGERT project is to develop an interdisciplinary graduate training program focused on cellular and molecular imaging for diagnostics and therapeutics. This interdisciplinary program builds on our existing IGERT grant in Optical Molecular Bio-Engineering. Over the last four and a half years, our team has trained students to develop and use new photonic technologies, adaptable and specific contrast agents, and computers to address both fundamental biological questions and the need for improved diagnostic imaging modalities. At the same time, the University of Texas at Austin, the UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the UT Health Science Center at Houston have invested heavily in new interdisciplinary programs in Biomedical Engineering. In this competitive renewal, we integrate these efforts, to develop a multidisciplinary training program in cellular and molecular imaging for diagnostics and therapeutics.

The clinical use of cellular and molecular imaging hinges on the availability of a cadre of professionals with inter-disciplinary training spanning imaging science, biomarkers of disease, design and use of molecular contrast agents, and the principles of cellular and molecular based therapies. This project will develop an inter-disciplinary new pathway, which synthesizes these fields in a single graduate degree. The degree program will incorporate four important inter-disciplinary features. (1) A doctoral portfolio program of coursework will prepare students to carry out inter-disciplinary research in this field. (2) Students will carry out inter-disciplinary research under a new advisory structure, where co-advisors from different disciplines supervise the student’s research. The thesis committee will have broad participation from faculty in the Colleges of Engineering and Natural Sciences as well a clinical mentor. (3) Students will receive training in technology assessment and transfer, to help them appreciate the spectrum of translational research as it leads to commercial products. (4) Students will participate in at least one internship where they see the application of their research in a different setting: Clinical internships allow students to participate in translational, clinical research; industrial internships enable students to participate in technology development; and international internships enable them to carry out research and development with a global perspective.

The intellectual merit and broader impacts of this IGERT project reside in the integration of inter-disciplinary research and education that will bring together teams of students, faculty and clinicians with diverse skill sets to develop and evaluate novel molecular and cellular imaging systems for diagnostics and therapeutics. These teams will collaborate to develop and present courses and seminars, to define important clinical problems and to develop and evaluate engineering based solutions. Through participation with historically minority Texas undergraduate institutions, we will recruit graduate students from underrepresesented groups to participate in this program. As we focus on the parallel development, assessment, and transfer of technology, we will create key partnerships with industry. These partnerships will provide our students with information about a variety of career opportunities, and will expedite the process of bringing the research advances developed here to general medical practice.

IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In this sixth year of the program, awards are being made to institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. « less

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