The Positron Emission Tomography (PET) group is dedicated to providing the highest quality of nuclear imaging research.
Research & Innovation
The Division of Bioimagining Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine emphasizes work in the areas of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) physics, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and the image analysis strategies associate with these techniques at the organ and tissue levels of scale.
Key projects range over a variety of methodology development topics and applications of developments to a number of biomedical problems. Examples include the study of cortical epilepsy in the human brain, focused on the study of biochemical changes in the brain due to epilepsy using MRS; the study of the alteration of brain cognition due to epilepsy using functional MRI (fMRI); and the development of image processing strategies that are used to perform the intricate image-guided brain surgeries that can help these patients become fully seizure-free. Work in this and other areas is typically published in more specialized journals in each of these subfields, with some work making it to more general, higher impact journals often after the methodology has been applied and tested in a particular area.
Positron Emission Tomography Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Group is focused on technical advances in imaging.
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy The Yale MRS group are pioneers in many of the applications of MRS to the study of metabolism in vivo.
Image Processing and Analysis
Research Programs and Groups
Center for Molecular Imaging Technology and Translation Training Programs The aim of CMITT is to develop, apply and disseminate cutting-edge imaging technologies that take advantage of the game-changing capabilities afforded by simultaneous PET/MR.
The Neuroimaging Sciences Training Program in Substance Abuse Opportunities for diverse prospective candidates pursuing training in neuroimaging sciences.
Mental Health PET Radioligand Development (MHPRD) Program A Program for Innovative PET Radioligand Development and Application - a translational toolbox for treatments for Mental Health
A center of innovation and excellence in the field of biomedical imaging, driving transformative biomedical advancements in both basic science and clinical applications.
Associated Cores
MR Core An interdisciplinary research service that provides state-of-the-art MR imaging for acquisition, methodology, and data analysis. The core is equipped with five whole-body MRI scanners, including three Siemens 3T Prisma systems, a 3T Vida, and a Bruker 4T, plus two preclinical magnets (9.4T and 11.7T). With expert staff and custom-built equipment, the core supports hardware development, pulse sequence strategies, and research-focused data storage and analysis.
PET Core An FDA-registered radiotracer manufacturing and imaging facility supporting over 1,000 human and 300 small animal scans annually. The core is equipped with a GE PETtrace cyclotron, radiochemistry lab, and eight PET scanners – a United Imaging NeuroEXPLORER and Siemens Vision, mCT, HRRT, three Focus 220 and one Inveon. It supports both human and preclinical studies, enabling advanced PET research even for investigators without technical expertise.
Faculty Labs
- Brain Energy Atlas ProjectCollaborations with Fudan University to create the next generation of neuroscientific tools for highly detailed human brain spatial reference systems of energy metabolism
- Deuterium Metabolic Imaging (DMI)Innovative MR-based method to map metabolism non-invasively in 3D.
- Yale Interventional Oncology Research LabImproving the detection, characterization, and treatment of neoplastic disease in the liver.
- NeuroPET Imaging ProgramDeveloping the next generation of imaging biomarkers for brain research that have the potential to translate into the clinic.
- Multi-modal Imaging, Neuroinformatics, & Data Science (MINDS) LaboratoryNew functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methods, primarily encompassing functional connectivity, multiscale analysis, machine learning, statistical benchmarking, and software development.
- X Liu LabThe Liu lab studies AI for medical image analysis.