MIPS Center Grants News

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation Award $10M to Develop Neuro-Molecular Imaging Program

November 23, 2011
The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation has awarded Dr. Sanjiv Sam Gambhir $10 million over 5 years to develop a neuro-molecular imaging program that will merge advances in molecular biology with those in biomedical imaging to improve the molecular imaging of GBM. Molecular imaging uses probes known as imaging agents/tracers to interact chemically with their tissue/cellular surroundings and alter images to display molecular changes. Gambhir's strategies stand to markedly aid in the management of glioblastoma multiforme, make it possible to provide individualized care for brain cancer patients, and address current limitations in brain imaging for monitoring response to treatment.


Stanford-Yale Team Awarded $12 Million Grant to Study Cell Reprogramming

November 16, 2011
An interdisciplinary team of experts led by Stanford's Michael Snyder, PhD, chair of genetics, and Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and of radiology and MIPS member, has been awarded a $12 million grant to study the epigenomics of cell reprogramming.


September 14, 2011
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has renewed funding for the R25T Stanford Molecular Imaging Scholars (SMIS) training grant. With 9 former and 7 current fellows, SMIS will continue to train the next generation of molecular imaging scholars to become leaders in the field of oncologic molecular imaging.

Download SMIS Brochure Adobe PDF


The NCI Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) funds research at the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection

October 4, 2010

The Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) has funded the Canary Center at Stanford to conduct a research project involving the early detection and prognostication of prostate cancer. The goal is to combine in vitro and in vivo platforms in an integrated approach that will lead to an accurate blood test for the early detection and prognostication of prostate cancer, along with an imaging strategy that will enable the accurate localization and biopsy of prostate lesions. Dr.'s Sanjiv "Sam" Gambhir, MD, PhD and James Brooks, MDare co-principle investigators.

The Early Detection Research Network, an initiative of the National Cancer Institute, brings together dozens of institutions to help accelerate the translation of biomarker information into clinical applications and to evaluate new ways of testing cancer in its earliest stages and for cancer risk.


NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer Funds $15M to Stanford Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Translation (CCNE-T NIH U54)

September 27, 2010
The NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer awarded $15 million over the next five years to the Stanford Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Translation, or CCNE-T. Fostering interdisciplinary work, faculty from radiology, bioengineering, materials science, oncology and other departments collaborate in the center's effort to use and develop nanotechnology to improve cancer-patient management by, for instance, promoting earlier cancer detection and better monitoring of responses to anti-cancer therapy.

The projects supported by this grant include: the production of next-generation smart nanoparticles; the development of magnetonanotechnology for blood proteomics and cell sorting; the use of multiple nano-platforms to interrogate single circulating tumor cells; the advancement of molecular imaging with photoacoustics, Raman imaging and nanoparticles; and the monitoring of responses to therapies using imaging and magneto-nanosensors.

Sanjiv "Sam" Gambhir, MD, PhD, is the principal investigator and Shan Wang, PhD, professor of materials science and engineering and of electrical engineering is the co-principal investigator. In addition, the grant provides support for scientists from UCLA, UC-Berkley, USC and MIT to collaborate with Stanford faculty on the research.

NCI CCNE Press Release


New NCI Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC) U54 Grant awarded to USC in collaboration with Stanford for $16M

October 26, 2009
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded $16M to University of Southern California in collaboration with Stanford University to establish a Physical Sciences-Oncology Center (PS-OC). Professor of engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and professor of research medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, W. Daniel Hillis, is the principal investigator. Collaborators at Stanford are Dr. Sam GambhirDr. Shan WangDr. Steve Quake, and Dr. Garry Nolan.

The goal of the five year initiative is to engage trans-disciplinary scientific teams from fields of physics, mathematics, chemistry and engineering to examine new, non-traditional approaches to cancer research.

NIBIB Funds T32 Training Grant in Cardiovascular Imaging

September 30, 2008
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering has funded Stanford for a T32 Training Grant to train the next generation of cardiovascular imaging researchers (PI: M.V. McConnell, Co-PIs: S.S. Gambhir, J.M. Pauly). The "Multi-Disciplinary Training Program in Cardiovascular Imaging" will train 4 post-doctoral fellows every 2 years, bringing together MD's and/or PhD's from clinical, bioengineering, and molecular imaging backgrounds. Aided by 16 faculty mentors from Cardiovascular Medicine, Radiology, Engineering, and MIPS, the fellows will pursue advanced research while also training together in collaborative problem-solving and biodesign.


NCI Funds Stanford NTR Grant

September 10, 2008
Stanford Investigators led by Dr. Christopher Contag have been awarded a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as part of the Network for Translational Research (NTR): Optical Imaging in Multimodal Platforms. The aims of this proposal are to develop microscopes that reach inside the body for the early diagnosis of cancer and to guide therapy.


NCI Funds Stanford R25T Training Grant

August 24, 2006
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has funded Stanford for a R25T Training Grant to train the next generation of molecular imaging scholars (S.S. Gambhir, PI). The 'Stanford Molecular Imaging Scholars (SMIS)' will train approximately 18 post-docs over the next few years to become leaders in the field of multimodality molecular imaging.

Download SMIS Brochure Adobe PDF


NCI Funds $20M Stanford Nanotech Center

March 1, 2006
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced that it has allotted roughly $20 million over five years to the Stanford Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNE), which will be led by professor of radiology and bioengineering Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD, who directs the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford.

The Stanford CCNE will be one of eight NCI Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence which are research alliances of cancer centers, medical institutions, schools of engineering and physical sciences, nonprofit organizations and private corporations. Their mission is to integrate nanotechnology into cancer research.