Dr. Gerard Arino Estrada's lab at UC Davis specializes in developing advanced detectors for time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET), an imaging technique crucial for diagnosing conditions like cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The lab focuses on utilizing thallium chloride (TlCl) crystals due to their potential for lower cost and improved timing accuracy compared to conventional materials. Research efforts are directed towards optimizing these detectors to improve medical imaging applications and enhance diagnostic capabilities.

Kamran Avanaki's lab focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a painful skin disease that affects many people. The research involves developing an innovative imaging system that combines photoacoustic and ultrasound technologies to create detailed 3D images of HS lesions. This system aims to enhance clinical assessments, leading to more accurate treatment plans and a better understanding of the disease.

Dr. Steven Carl George's lab focuses on innovative research aimed at enhancing our understanding of the immune response, particularly in relation to B cells and their functionality against infections like influenza and SARS-CoV-2. They are developing a new microfluidic technology to measure how effectively these B cells can bind to viruses, which could inform vaccine development and improve therapeutic strategies. This work combines engineering and biology to create tools that assess immune health and response.

Dr. Andrew B. Sharabi's lab at UC San Diego focuses on understanding how B-cells can contribute to successful outcomes in immunotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer. They explore the mechanisms that allow certain patients to achieve durable complete responses to cancer treatment, potentially leading to new therapies that enhance the immune system's ability to fight tumors. The lab's research aims to improve our understanding of cancer immunotherapy and how B-cell activity can be harnessed to develop better treatments for patients.

Dr. Blanca Barquera's lab at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute explores the unique bacteria known as Bacteroides, which play a vital role in our gut health. The team investigates how these bacteria generate energy through complex respiratory processes and how this impacts both the bacteria's survival and our overall health. By understanding these mechanisms, the lab aims to contribute to the development of effective probiotics and strategies for restoring healthy gut microbiota.

Dr. Kenneth Bader's lab at the University of Chicago focuses on improving treatment strategies for chronic deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a common blood clotting condition. The lab combines advanced ultrasound technology with thrombolytic drugs to break down clots more effectively. Ultimately, they aim to develop personalized treatment protocols that enhance recovery and prevent future complications for patients suffering from chronic DVT.

Dr. Lena H Ting's lab focuses on understanding how our brain and body work together to keep us standing and balanced, particularly as we age or when we have conditions like strokes or Parkinson's disease. Through advanced techniques like brain imaging, her research aims to identify specific neural signals that indicate balance health and fall risk. This will help develop personalized interventions to improve balance and quality of life for those with balance impairments.

Dr. Daniel P. Ferris's lab at the University of Florida focuses on improving balance training to prevent falls, particularly in older adults and individuals with neurological conditions. They study the effects of visual perturbations, such as briefly taking away visual input during balance exercises, to see how it can aid in retraining the brain's balance systems. The ultimate goal is to identify effective methods for enhancing balance, which can lead to better outcomes for those at risk of falling.

Dr. Gang Bao's lab at Rice University focuses on understanding and improving CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing techniques, specifically for treating sickle cell disease (SCD). They investigate unintended genetic changes that occur during the editing process and work on developing methods to minimize these effects to enhance treatment safety and efficacy. The lab's research aims to bridge the gap between innovative gene editing techniques and their clinical application, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Dr. Ramon Francisco Barajas's research lab at Oregon Health & Science University focuses on advanced imaging techniques to improve treatments for glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive brain cancer. The lab investigates the role of the hypoxic tumor immune microenvironment, specifically how certain immune cells can suppress the effectiveness of cancer therapies. By better understanding this immune response, the lab aims to correlate imaging findings with treatment outcomes, ultimately contributing to more effective immunotherapy strategies for cancer patients.

Dr. Glen N. Barber's lab at Ohio State University studies how a protein called STING plays a key role in the immune system, particularly regarding how our bodies respond to infections and cancer. They focus on understanding the mechanisms by which STING signaling can make infected or damaged cells more recognizable to the immune system, potentially improving cancer treatment strategies. The lab's work has implications for developing more effective therapies for various health issues, including cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff's research lab focuses on innovative treatments for cancer using radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT). By targeting transforming growth factor (TGF) activity, which is often dysregulated in cancer, her team aims to develop new theranostic approaches that can be applied across various types of tumors. Through preclinical cancer models, they investigate how RPT can be optimized for better efficacy and understanding of biological responses to radiation treatment.

Dr. Jennifer Kehlet Barton's research lab at the University of Arizona focuses on understanding and improving women's reproductive health. The lab studies the vital role of motile cilia in the fallopian tubes, which are critical for fertility, and seeks to develop advanced imaging techniques for clinical applications. Additionally, the lab aims to enhance early detection methods for ovarian cancer by combining blood biomarkers and innovative imaging technologies.

Dr. Soumya Benhabbour's lab focuses on innovative drug delivery systems aimed at improving treatments for HIV and brain cancer. The lab develops long-acting injectable formulations and smart biomaterials that can enhance safety and efficacy, providing patients with better health outcomes and reducing the need for invasive procedures. They use advanced techniques such as ultrasound to improve cell therapy delivery and create novel systems that combine contraception with HIV prevention.

Dr. Kevin M. Bennett's lab focuses on improving kidney transplantation outcomes by developing imaging techniques to better evaluate high-risk deceased donor kidneys. Many kidneys are discarded due to being labeled as low quality, but this project aims to validate and enhance the assessment of their health through advanced imaging methods. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce kidney waste and increase the availability of life-saving organs for patients in need.

Dr. Ralph Weichselbaum's lab at the University of Chicago focuses on innovative cancer therapies using genetically-engineered bacteria. They specifically study how Bifidobacteria can be used to enhance treatment for challenging cancers like pancreatic cancer by improving the immune response and working synergistically with traditional therapies like radiation. The lab is pioneering in engineering these bacteria to precisely deliver therapeutic agents to tumors, potentially changing how we treat hard-to-reach cancers.

Dr. Giuliano Scarcelli's research lab focuses on developing advanced optical microscopy techniques to study the biomechanics of cells and corneal tissues. By utilizing a novel method called pulsed Stimulated Brillouin scattering, the lab aims to create non-invasive, high-throughput imaging tools to understand how mechanical properties affect biological processes. The ultimate goal is to enhance clinical practices in ophthalmology and tissue engineering by providing more accurate biomechanical assessments.

Dr. Bharat Bhusan Biswal's lab focuses on understanding Alzheimer's disease by studying the brain's white matter, which is crucial for communication between different brain regions. Using advanced imaging techniques, the lab aims to discover how changes in white matter relate to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients compared to healthy older adults. Ultimately, this research seeks to provide insights that could improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Jianmin Cui's lab at Washington University focuses on understanding how specific mutations in the BK potassium channel affect brain activity and contribute to neurological disorders like epilepsy and movement disorders. By studying these mutations, the lab aims to develop targeted treatments that can better address the symptoms associated with these conditions. The research combines molecular biology, electrophysiology, and drug design to improve diagnosis and treatment options for patients with these genetic variants.

Dr. Kim L Blackwell's lab at the University of Iowa focuses on understanding how female sex hormones, specifically estradiol, affect brain function related to addiction and learning. The research explores how estradiol impacts synaptic connections in the brain's reward centers and how this might differ between males and females, particularly concerning cocaine use. The lab's work aims to unravel the complex interactions between hormones and drug behaviors, and ultimately improve treatment strategies for substance use disorders in women.