From Our Director

The track record of our faculty, students and staff illustrates the magic of mixing talented individuals in engineering, mathematical, physical, biological and medical sciences, with a passion to create new science and technologies to achieve it. This began when Prof Michael Phelps and his colleagues invented the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner to provide a unique means to look inside the human body to watch the living chemistry and biology of cells and organ systems, providing new insights into the biology of disease. PET imaging has grown to become a mainstay in the care of patients with cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases throughout the world. Crump Institute faculty invented the “microPET scanner” for mice to link laboratory sciences and clinical PET. From events like these, our faculty took the lead in developing a new field of molecular imaging with various imaging technologies integrated with basic and clinical scientists to translate laboratory biology into the study of biology within the living subject.

Throughout the life of our institute, we have adapted the course of our mission. Through recruitment of faculty, the Crump Institute has built a new foundation of science and technology with program areas in:

1. A systems approach to understanding the transitions of cells from normal biology to that of disease, and the interaction of microorganisms with humans.
2. Technology platforms for in vitro (tissue, cells and blood) and in vivo (imaging) molecular diagnostics as a measurement science in research and patient care.
3. Molecular imaging probe discovery process for small molecules, antibody fragments and peptides.
4. Technology platforms for synthesizing and labeling diverse arrays of molecular imaging probes.
5. Technologies for in vitro imaging measurements of biochemistry on microfluidics chips and preclinical PET imaging for high-throughput screening of imaging probes.
6. A pathway for commercialization of science and technology..