Imaging

Can you imagine perfect health? Catching an image and processing it, whether within the tiniest cell or in the most hidden precincts of the body, is an indispensable ally to advancing world medicine. Israel has repeatedly proven itself as the world's pioneer in medical imaging with integrated tools that have revolutionized diagnosis and treatment. And it is not by accident that the Lempel-Ziv Algorithm, that has allowed the surpassing of all frontiers in data compression, was developed by Technion scientists.

The Principle:

To form an integrated imaging center where scientists from all fields are encouraged pool insights to develop imaging capabilities from complex molecules to cells. With expert imaging, scientists can acquire an insight into creation itself.

The Promise:

By facilitating in silico design of novel drugs and fluorescent molecular probes, and with the establishment of expert multidisciplinary facilities, the development of innovative tools for life science research in the fight against disease, such as cancer, will be made possible.

The Process:

By establishing an imaging center where interdisciplinary scientists will collaborate to develop and use optical methods integrated with computer-assisted quantitative methods. These scientists will be able to track single molecules within cells, and single cells within cell populations and living animals, that will enable the study of gene function. This will help foster the development of targeted drugs and gene therapy.

Scientific and Technological Goals:

• Develop high-frequency ultrasound and near-infrared optical techniques for high spatial resolution of live organs, as well as nanoparticles, microbubble, and liposomes covalently linked with targeting molecules producing strong ultrasound echoes.
• Combine modern imaging techniques such as light, fluorescent, and confocal microscopy with time-lapse photography, to capture real-time visualization of processes such as the trafficking, synthesis, and degradation of proteins within living cells.
• Establish a molecular visualization unit including X-ray crystallography, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Electron Microscopy (EM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) that will enable precise determination of the positions of every atom in molecules containing tens to millions of atoms.
• Establish a two-photon microscopy facility to track single cells within living organisms, augmented by additional methods, such as MRI and functional MRI, to follow molecules, labeled cells, and reactions occurring within living organisms.