BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AT THE 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

Gary L. Griffiths, Ph.D.

Director, Imaging Probe Development Center, NHLBI
Sept 8, 2008

PET for Neuroimaging:

Quantitation of uptake

Drug tracking

Occupancy & receptor studies

Early diagnosis

Guide for therapy

Alzheimer’s and other 

neurological diseases

Positron Emission Tomography

Molecular Imaging: from intracellular to clinical scales

Fluorescent

Intracellular Fluorescent Probes: 

Four-color staining of a muntjac cell 

with probes for cytoskeletal, nuclear 

and mitochondrial proteins.

Invitrogen Corp.

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 2
NIH Institutes with Major Imaging Interests

Major Interests: Others: 

NCI NIDDK

NIAID NICHD

NHLBI NIDA

NINDS NHGRI

NIMH NIA

NIBIB NIEHS

& Clinical Center NICDR

Modalities: Flourescence, ultrasound, magnetic resonance, positron 

emission tomography, single photon emission tomography & others

Disciplines: chemistry, physics, biology & medicine; & more

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 3
An aerial view of the NIH Clinical Center complex with the Mark 

O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center in the foreground
NIH Radiology and Imaging Sciences Department

Patient activities encompass clinical care and research support in the areas of Body 

Imaging, Interventional Radiology, Neuroradiology and Nuclear Medicine.

State-of-the-art equipment includes:

Three GE Advance whole body scanners 

(‘93, ‘97, ‘01), Resolution 5-7 mm

Human brain and body; large animals

High Resolution Research Tomograph 

(HRRT, ‘04), Resolution 2.5 mm

Human and monkey brain; small animals

Diagnostic services in ultrasound, digital mammography, PET/CT, and nuclear medicine 

Advanced processing capabilities for 3D and functional studies

PET Imaging, primarily for neuroscience 10/06/2009 Slide 5
PET Department, CC

The PET Department functions as a core facility for the intramural research program

• Perform PET scans in humans under IRB-approved clinical research protocols 

– using IND radiopharmaceuticals manufactured in-house 

• Perform research scans in large and small animals 

• Provide shipments of cyclotron-produced radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals

Three medical 

cyclotrons
PET Resources – Radiochemistry 

• 10 hot cells for synthesis of 

radiopharmaceuticals

• Von Gahlen hot cells (6; 

1985) and mini hot cells (4; 

2005)

• Labs for 

radiopharmaceutical QC 

and dispensing

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 7
PET Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Section 

(PRSS)

The PRSS within MIB has as its primary mission the development of novel 

radiotracers for PET brain imaging for neuropsychiatric research 

and, also produces a range of „literature‟ PET radiotracers of interest to the 

NIMH/MIB molecular imaging program

12 literature radiotracers for use by NIMH investigators

• 1 RDRC, 4 IND and 2 eIND approvals

• New methodology for PET radiopharmaceutical sciences

• > 250 ligands and candidate ligands for various targets

• Including Promising new radiotracers for 5-HT1A, NET, 

PBR, mGluR5 and CB1targets

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 8
Miniaturization of Radiochemistry

R COOH

Bu4NOH

DMF

11CH3

I or

18FCH2CH2OTs

DMF

Labelled Products

A B

C

Reagents placement and

flow direction

Top plate

Etched bottom plate

A B

C

Glass based micro-reactor

design

Radiosyntheses of 11C- and 18F-esters, including a candidate 11C-labeled 

PBR radiotracer. Lu et al., Lab on Chip (2004) 4, 523–525.

Advion a microfluidic 

system developed with 

support from NIH

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 9
NIH ATLAS small animal PET scanner

circa 2001, one of the first dedicated 

laboratory animal PET imaging systems.

Collaboration between intra and extramural partners, NIH shop facility on

Bethesda campus.

GE eXplore VISTA small animal PET scanner

circa 2009 marketed worldwide by GE and by

SEDECAL (Spain) as ARGUS PET.

Enabling Technologies

“Resolution Uniformity and Sensitivity of the NIH ATLAS Small Animal PET Scanner: Comparison to 

Simulated LSO Scanners without Depth-of-Interaction Capability”. J. Seidel, J.J. Vaquero and M.V. Green. 

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (50) No.5: pp. 1347-1350, October, 2003.

The ATLAS System for PET Scanning, Developed at NIH
NIH/NCI MONICA portable dual (yellow arrows) gamma camera system circa 2009 for 

whole body single photon mouse imaging in support of pre-clinical development of 

cancer diagnostic and therapeutic drugs. Collaboration between intra and extra-mural 

partners, NIH shop facility on the Bethesda campus. Commercial potential unknown.

More information: <greenmich@mail.nih.gov>

MONICA: A Portable Dual Gamma Camera System for Small 

Animal Projection Imaging 

“MObile Nuclear Imaging CAmeras”.

The New MONICA System for Small Animal SPECT Scanning
Molecular Imaging Program (MIP) of the 

Center for Cancer Research at NCI

Vision: To speed cancer therapy development using imaging biomarkers to guide 

therapy and patient selection 

Mission: To develop and test targeted tumor imaging agents for human cancers

Facilities: Extensive chemistry and biology. Clinical and preclinical imaging center

MRI Research: 

Development of new targeted and non-targeted Gd-dendrimer-based imaging agents for use as 

lymphatic markers, angiogenic markers and surrogate markers for drugs 

Dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI to evaluate patients on anti-angiogenesis drugs. 

Prostate MRI imaging using both DCE MRI and MR spectroscopy 

Optical Imaging: 

Use as a guide for surgery and endoscopy 

Targeted activatable fluorescent molecules as potential guides during surgery and endoscopy

Radionuclide/PET imaging: 

Radiolabeled antibodies, peptides and other drugs 10/06/2009 Slide 12
Dual labeling Reagents

• Pre-operative planning: Gd-Dendrimer

• Intra-operative guidance: Optical-Dendrimer

Cy5.5

Gd

Gd

Gd

Gd

Gd

Gd Gd

Gd

Gd

Gd

Gd

Gd

Gd Gd Gd Gd

MRI

Fluorescence

G6-Cy5.5 dual probe 

Fluorescent dye

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 13
The Cancer Imaging Program at NCI

Mission: 

To promote and support:

Cancer-related basic, translational and clinical research in 

imaging sciences and technology

Integration and application of these imaging discoveries and 

developments to the understanding of cancer biology and to the 

clinical management of cancer and cancer risk. 

Sponsors a number of programs for specific purposes:

In-Vivo Cellular & Molecular Imaging Centers (ICMICs), 

Small Animal Imaging Resource Program (SAIRP), 

Development of Preclinical Drugs and Enhancers (DCIDE) program, and 

Network for Translational Research: Optical Imaging (NTROI). 

The Interagency Council on Biomedical Imaging in Oncology (ICBIO) was 

developed as a means for developers of new imaging techniques to seek advice 

on the best way to proceed to commercialize their ideas. 

10/06/2009 Slide 14
The Cancer Imaging Program at NCI

Interagency Council on Biomedical Imaging in Oncology (ICBIO)

The ICBIO brings together representatives of the Federal Government and 

technology developers to expedite the process of bringing new products to market.

Government officials on the Council represent three Department of Health 

and Human Services agencies: 

National Cancer Institute (NCI) 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 

Technologies presented in the past have included: Computed tomography (CT) and 

combination instrumentation, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic 

resonance spectroscopy (MRS), Ultrasound, Optical imaging, Nuclear medicine 

both single photon and PET, Molecular imaging agents, Image guided therapy 

FDA approval pathways, CMS approval and funding

imaging.cancer.gov/programsandresources/.../ICBIO

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 15
SPECT scan. High levels of 

antibody in pelvis and axilla 

(red) and uptake in skin of the 

thigh and right shoulder (green) 

showing areas of cutaneous Tcell lymphoma. Image from Dr. 

J. Carrasquillo, Nuclear 

Medicine Department, CCr, NIH. 

The Cancer Imaging Program at NCI

Conventional CT scan without contrast (left) 

showing possible tumor in the liver. CT scan 

of the same patient using contrast (right). 

Images from Dr. Peter Choyke, Department 

of Radiology, CC, NIH. 

Ultrasound image of the liver; dark areas 

by arrows show possible tumors. Image 

from Dr.T. Shawker, NCI. 

Virtual colonoscopy image of the inside of a colon. 

The red colored area indicates a polyp detected by 

computer-aided detection (CAD). Image from Dr. R. 

Summers, Diagnostic Radiology Dept, CC, NIH. 

10/06/2009 Slide 16
An NCI initiative to speed translation of research into new treatments for patients with cancer and AIDS. 

The ATPI establishes effective partnerships with academic institutions, industry, and nonprofit organizations.

Partnerships through the Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) in Frederick, Md., - a 

government-owned, contractor-operated national laboratory.

Designed to meet special long-term R&D needs 

The FFRDC, has a wide range of state-of-the-art advanced technologies that support NCI‟s mission.

These include: 

genetics and genomics 

proteins and proteomics 

nanotechnology characterization 

advanced biomedical imaging & high-performance biomedical computing

NCI will use these resources in developing partnerships to identify the most promising diagnostic and 

therapeutic candidates and move them efficiently through R&D and into preclinical and clinical studies.

NCI at Frederick, MD

www.ncifcrf.gov/atpi/

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 17 
NCI Nanotechnology Characterization 

Laboratory (NCL) 

– Characterization of physical properties of nanoparticles

– Pre-clinical efficacy

– Toxicity testing of nanoparticles intended for cancer therapy, 

imaging and diagnostics

– http://ncl.cancer.gov/working_application-process.asp
NIH MRI Research Facilities (NMRF)

www.lfmi.ninds.nih.gov/ & fmrif.nimh.nih.gov

A shared, intramural resource for human MR imaging studies:

•Supported by all Institutes at NIH 

•Resides within NINDS with NMR Center Steering Committee oversight

•Provides intellectual, technical and material support for investigators

In addition to LFMI, the NIH NMR Center contains active research programs from:

Laboratory of Cardiac Energetics, NHLBI

Laboratory of Diagnostic Radiology Research, CC

Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH

Stroke Diagnostic and Therapeutics Section of the Stroke Branch, NINDS

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 19
Animal MRI/Imaging Core Facilities

Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging: http://www.lfmi.ninds.nih.gov/

A resource for magnetic resonance imaging of rodents

Equipment includes a 11.7T Animal MRI Scanner and a 7T Human MRI Scanner

Functional MRI 

for brain imaging

Vascular imaging

7T/20 cm 

Animal MRI 

System at 

MIF

Selected Other Equipment:

MicroCat II CT System 

Bioluminescence Imaging System

4.7 T / 40 cm Animal MRI System

7T Vertical Microimaging MRI System 

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 20
Develops and optimizes MRI methods for cardiovascular imaging of mice and rats

http://dir-intranet.nhlbi.nih.gov/amri/

Can also incorporate additional imaging

Modalities that may be relevant such as 

computed tomography, ultrasound 

and bioluminescence

Examples of studies @ NHLBI:

Cardiac imaging for ejection fraction 

High resolution imaging of myocardium for identification of infarct 

Imaging vessels in live mice and rats 

Imaging atherosclerotic plaque 

Perfusion of skeletal muscle 

Cellular imaging: magnetic labeling and tracking cell transplants 

Targeted MRI contrast agent research 

High resolution imaging of embryos 

High resolution imaging of fixed tissue

Animal MRI/Imaging Core Facility (AMRI) at NHLBI

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 21
Provides state of the art equipment and image processing capabilities to assist 

researchers in experiments involving light microscopy. 

Equipment:

Several types of confocal microscopes 

A two-photon microscope

A standard epi-fluorescence wide-field microscope. 

Capabilities:

Live cell imaging

Deep tissue-level imaging

Video-rate confocal imaging 

Spectral imaging 

Wide-field fluorescence and bright-field imaging of slides 

Image processing capabilities including deconvolution and 3D 

reconstruction as well as a custom in-house image processing

The Light Microscopy Core Facility in NHLBI

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 22
The Light Microscopy Core Facility in NHLBI

(http://dir-intranet.nhlbi.nih.gov/lmf/image-gallery/) 

Rhodamine labeled blood vessels 

imaged deep in an intact mouse brain. 

Distribution of GFP-tagged human 

ABCG1 transporter (green), and, 

cholesterol (blue) using cholesterolspecific cytochemical staining with 

filipin, in HeLa cells. 

Drosophila embryo (200 microns thick) 

with cells labeled with Alexa 594. 

2 photon image of autofluorescence 

from an intact mouse liver. This 

image was acquired approximately 

50 microns into the tissue at a 

wavelength of 900 nm. 

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 23
NIH Roadmap Initiatives

http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/

New Pathways to Discovery

Building blocks, biological pathways and networks

 Molecular libraries and imaging

Structural biology

Bioinformatics and computational biology

Nanomedicine

Research teams of the future

High risk research

Interdisciplinary research

Public-private partnerships

Re-engineering the clinical research enterprise

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 24
Molecular Libraries/Molecular 

Imaging Initiatives

• Molecular Libraries

– Screening Centers

– PubChem

– Technology Development

• Molecular Imaging

– Imaging Probe Database (MICAD)

– Development of New Imaging Probes

– IPDC Core Synthesis Facility

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 25
• MICAD - comprehensive, cumulative info. on ALL 

published in vivo imaging 

• “Chapters” organized in 5 sections: background, 

synthesis, in vitro, animal and human studies

• Structures stored in PubChem and hyperlinked to 

“chapters”

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

# of Agents

PET SPECT Optical MRI US CT

Imaging Modality

MICAD –Molecular Imaging and Contrast Database

http://micad.nih.gov

NIBIB Intramural Program Activities

PET Radiochemistry Group:

Molecular Imaging Probe Toolbox Group

Theranostic Nanomedicine Group

Radiochemistry Group

Biological Molecular Imaging Group 

Laboratory of Bioengineering and Physical Science:

Drug Delivery and Kinetics

Biomedical Instrumentation and Multiscale Imaging 

Ultramicro Immunodiagnostics 

Dynamics of Macromolecular Assembly 

Supramolecular Structure and Function

NIBIB

National Institute of Biomedical 

Imaging and Bioengineering

Devel. of new imaging probes

http://www.nibib.nih.gov/HomePage

http://www.nibib.nih.gov/publicP

age.cfm?section=gallery&action

=view&page=1
The Imaging Probe Development Center (IPDC)

IPDC is a core synthesis facility producing commercially 

unavailable imaging probes as well as new probes for 

biomedical research and clinical applications

This may Include:

Any imaging modality: PET, SPECT, MRI, CT, fluorescence, ultrasound

Application of emerging technologies: Molecular modeling, microwave 

& solid phase syntheses, microfluidic reactors

Any type of composition: Nanoparticles & nanotubes, polymers, biologicals, 

new probes from drug screening efforts such as the libraries initiative

Improving known processes and developing novel syntheses

Operating from in vitro use, through in vivo studies, to clinical development

www.ipdc.nih.gov
Fluorescent Dyes

• Modern and Classical synthetic dyes

• Structural modification of dyes to enhance targeting, 

physical properties or clearance characteristics

• Conjugates of targeting agent and dyes

• Activatable dye conjugates

• Application and development of specific linking 

strategies for dyes; e.g. cleavable compounds

• Advanced delivery techniques; e.g. multivalency, 

reactivity, permeability and binary targeting strategies
MRI Agents

• Enhancement of metal (e.g. Gd) delivery and clearance

• Encapsulation techniques

• Targeted delivery of MRI agents

• Cleavable and binary delivery

• Polymeric systems such as dendrimers

• Particulate delivery systems such as iron oxides

• New techniques; e.g. hyperpolarization
PET/SPECT Agents

• Synthesis of precursors and standards

• Development of new radiolabeled targeting agents for 

PET/SPECT imaging

• Optimization of known preparation methods for 

PET/SPECT agents

• Improvements in specific activity

• Novel radionuclides for PET/SPECT detection

• Automated methods development 
COLLABORATIONS

• Many NIH Researchers Collaborate with Outside Entities

– NIH internal research specializes in basic science

– We need to pass the resulting technologies to those able to bring 

benefits to public health

– This can be achieved through:

• Licensing an NIH technology

– http://ott.od.nih.gov/Technologies/AbsSearchBox.aspx

• Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)

• Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA)

• Exchange of Material or Information (MTA, CDA)

– Contacting the TDC for the Institute concerned:

– http://ott.od.nih.gov/nih_staff/tdc.aspx
What are Cooperative Research Development 

Agreements? (CRADAs)

• A true collaborative effort with intellectual input from all parties

• Research Plan in-line with NIH‟s research mission

• Federal laboratory may provide personnel, services, facilities, 

equipment or other resources

• Collaborator may provide funds, personnel, services, facilities, 

equipment or other resources

• Provide option to exclusive license in specified field of use

Benefits: Time and expertise of Federal researchers

Access to Federally owned materials, equipment and facilities

Select services such as animal toxicity studies or clinical trials

Paid access to existing Federally owned IP, 

Background IP rights (via a royalty-bearing license)

CRADA Subject Inventions via an option to a royalty-bearing 

exclusive license)
NIH Technology Transfer Activities FY 2008

Invention Disclosures 402

New U.S. Patent Applications Filed 176

Total U.S. Patent Applications Filed 343

Issued U.S. Patents 88

Executed Licenses 259

Royalties ($ in millions) $97.2

Source: http://www.ott.nih.gov/about_nih/statistics.aspx

Standard CRADAs 33

Material CRADAs 39

Total Executed CRADAs 72
8/14/2009 E-063-

2008/1

Nanoparticles for Imaging and Treatment of Brain Tumors

8/12/2009 E-118-

2009/0

Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Biomarkers for Squamous Cell Carcinomas

8/11/2009 E-058-

2009/0

Development of a New Carbohydrate Antibody to GalNac1-3Gal

8/11/2009 E-207-

2009/0

Superior Method of Preparing Dendrimers for Use as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 

Contrast Agents

7/2/2009 E-042-

2009/0

Immunogenic Peptide from NGEP Protein for Developing Prostate Cancer Vaccines

6/11/2009 E-086-

2007/0

An Imaging Radiotracer for the Noninvasive Detection of HER2-positive Tumors

5/28/2009 E-340-

2008/0

Methods for Identifying Breast Cancer Patients for Therapy with mTOR Inhibitors

5/28/2009 E-053-

2009/0

Diagnostic Markers for Melanoma

5/28/2009 E-023-

2009/0

Genomics-based Diagnostic Assay for Cancer

5/5/2009 E-179-

2008/0

Salcut-NH2: A Novel Target for Development of Anti-Tumorigenic, Anti-Angiogenic Therapeutics 

and Diagnostics

5/4/2009 E-154-

2004/0

Creation and Characterization of Carcinogen-Altered Mouse Epidermal Cell Lines

5/4/2009 E-257-

2004/0

Modulating Expression of the Metastasis Suppressor MxA

5/4/2009 E-223-

2006/1

Small-Molecule TSH Receptor Modulators for Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Disease and 

Cancer

NIH-OTT Licensing Opportunities – Cancer Diagnostics
Summary

 Imaging sciences have a long and distinguished history at NIH

 Current NIH investments in imaging technologies are extensive and 

future investments in all aspects of molecular imaging will remain 

an important part of the NIH research portfolio

 Molecular imaging is complementary to and synergistic with 

other important NIH programs such as small molecule drug 

discovery, high resolution imaging research, and the 

application of biological targeting agents and nanotechnology

 Multiple opportunities are present for collaborative work under 

various agreements and across a wide range of these technologies

10/06/2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health Slide 35