Welcome to the UC San Diego In vivo Cancer
and Molecular Imaging Center (ICMIC)
Housed at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center,
an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, ICMIC is dedicated to the
prevention, investigation, and treatment of cancer and other diseases at the
molecular level through the use of noninvasive, cutting-edge imaging
technologies.
The ICMIC effort was launched with the help of an NCI P20 “start-up” grant awarded in
Sept. 2001 that generated 11 competitive, peer-reviewed, and funded
multi-disciplinary imaging awards, including a five-year, $7.5 million P50 grant
funded by the NCI in Sept. 2008. Through this final NCI award, ICMIC became one
of only eight imaging centers in the nation focusing on the advancement of
cancer research via the use of in vivo cellular and molecular imaging
technologies.
Key to the ICMIC mission is an ongoing outreach and training
effort designed to promote collaboration across the San Diego cancer- and
imaging-research community; this includes quarterly
seminars featuring
internationally recognized imaging experts as well as semi-formal
working
conferences that bring together researchers from across UC San Diego Health
Sciences. In addition, since our Sept. 2008 launch, ICMIC has funded over
$200,000 annually in innovative pilot projects aimed at translating animal-based
imaging findings to the clinic and career-development awards for promising
early-stage investigators in the fields of translational research and cancer
imaging.
Ultimately, through ICMIC we seek to develop new diagnostic and
therapeutic tools that can be used to detect tumors at the earliest stages of
disease, distinguish aggressive from indolent forms of cancer, define cancer
characteristics, and treat and monitor tumor response in patients. We welcome
collaborative research opportunities dedicated to achieving these goals.
Robert Mattrey, MD
Co-Director, UC San Diego In vivo Cancer and Molecular Imaging Center
Director of Research, Vice-Chairman, and Professor, UC San Diego Dept. of Radiology
David Vera, PhD
Co-Director, UC San Diego In vivo Cancer and Molecular Imaging Center
Director, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Small Animal Imaging Resource
Professor, UC San Diego Dept. of Radiology