Washington University Medical Center's concept of the In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center (ICMIC) envisions a process that will permit the Center to become the focal point for the development of novel in vivo molecular imaging initiatives on the campus. This involves further building and reinforcing collaborations and enhancing the productivity of multidisciplinary programs in basic cancer and molecular imaging research. The ultimate objective of the proposed pre4CMIC is to combine the institutional expertise of Washington University in the basic sciences of molecular oncology, immunology, molecular genetics and signal transduction with our well developed infrastructure in medical imaging under the formal configuration of an ICMIC. We are strategically positioned to focus much of our pre-ICMIC resources on the advancement of novel interactive and collaborative oncologic molecular imaging developmental projects per se. To meet these goals, six multidisciplinary pre-ICMIC developmental research projects are proposed: l) Imaging Egr1 Gene Expression In Vivo, 2) Migration of C18 TCR Tumor-Antigen-Specific T Lymphocytes In Vivo, 3) In Vivo Imaging of Cancer-Associated Viruses with 99mTc labeled Tat- Protease Cleavage Sequence-Chelation Peptides, 4) MR Imaging of Prostate Cancer Progression in Transgenic Mice, 5) Glucose Metabolism and Oxidative Stress in Cancer Therapy, and 6) Development of Mutant Fas Ligand as a Reporter of Gene Expression. An organizational structure for a pre-ICMIC has been established and resources identified. The WUMC pre-ICMIC will promote excellence in molecular imaging in cancer research by providing a formal process for interdisciplinary interaction.
