The Duke BME Biomedical Imaging program features considerable expertise in the construction and clinical evaluation of novel imaging methods. Imaging research at Duke focuses upon photonics, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, x-ray, and nuclear medicine.
Biomedical photonics research is centered in the Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics as a Duke-wide effort. Resesarch encompasses area such as detecting early stage cancer, helping clinicians determine if tumor excision margins are cancer free, or diagnosing vision-related problems.
The ultrasound research team, which includes four graduate faculty with primary appointments in BME, has a long history of developing clinically relevant, novel ultrasonic imaging methods. Research is divided into four groups: transducer design, design of advanced ultrasound systems and applications, real-time image processing and acoustic radiation-force based imaging. The team has extensive facilities for system and transducer construction, allowing basic imaging algorithm development, and real-time implementation of new algorithms. The team collaborates with the Medical Center's Departments of Medicine and Radiology to perform clinical trials.
Research in MRI focuses upon diffusion tensor imaging and in vivo MRI microscopy. New optical imaging methods focus upon epithelium and synthetic coatings. Other biomedical optics applications address identification and ablation of atherosclerotic plaque. For the most part, these techniques focus upon large organ and animal level analysis.
There are extensive collaborations between BME and Medical Center faculty. In a collaboration with the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, the relationship between coronary artery motion and geometry, and the predispositional to arterial disease, is being examined by applying unique image processing tools to biplane cineangiograms and intravascular ultrasound records obtained in the clinic.The biomedical imaging faculty is strengthened by nine secondary appointments to PhD researchers with a primary appointment in the Department of Radiology. These faculty supervise BME graduate students. Their research focuses on CT scanners, mammography, PET, SPECT, and computer-aided diagnosis.