Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Translation (CCNE-T, NIH U54)
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator
Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Translation (CCNE-T) is a National Cancer Institute funded consortium composed of researchers from Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Sothern California, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Center has two primary goals: to develop and validate nanotechnology-based tools and approaches so that we will be able to 1) detect cancers earlier and 2) predict which cancer patients will likely respond to a specific anti-cancer therapy and to monitor their response to therapy. Earlier detection of relevant cancers that are aggressive is a major challenge for the cancer community and hence earlier intervention will greatly improve patient outcomes. We are attacking this issue from two perspectives: i) Develop clinically validated ultrasensitive and robust in vitro diagnostic nanosensors and imaging agents as well as imaging instrumentation, ii) Develop Circulating Tumor Cell and Cancer Stem Cell capture, sorting devices and use these devices to analyze captured cells at the single cell level with our comprehensive single cell analysis technologies under development. Our nanotechnology platforms are expected to become both early cancer detectors and reporters of therapeutic efficacy. By providing both sensitivity and specificity, we hope to be able to push the limits of earlier cancer detection and individualize patient monitoring so that a specific therapy for a given patient can be fully optimized.
In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center (ICMIC, NCI P50)
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator
The vision of ICMIC@Stanford is to bring together researchers from various disciplines to form synergistic teams that will make significant advances in the use of multimodality molecular imaging strategies for better linking pre-clinical models of cancer with the clinical management of cancer. Members of these teams will include trainees that will gain access to a highly multidisciplinary experience, and who will become well-equipped to establish independent, multidisciplinary research programs.
The Network for Translational Research in Optical Imaging (NTROI, NIH U54)
Christopher Contag, PhD, Principal Investigator
In this project, an interdisciplinary team of investigators at Stanford University, and partner institutions, is involved in a translational research program that combines imaging-technology development with biomarker discovery for the early detection of cancer in the esophagus. New imaging technologies have often been a key to the early detection and treatment of cancer. In this project, a unique endoscopic imaging tool that performs a noninvasive "optical biopsy" of esophagus tissues is being developed for detecting pre-cancerous conditions in the esophagus. The power of this tool, the miniature dual-axes confocal microscope, is that it images tissue structure with enough clarity and resolution to identify pre-cancerous tissues. This technology is also compatible with the use of optically-labeled biomarkers being developed in our group to specifically tag and identify pre-cancerous tissues. The combination of developing an advanced imaging technology, which greatly improves upon current in vivo imaging techniques, as well as the development of biomarkers specifically formulated for use with this imaging technology to locate pre-cancerous tissues, is an extremely powerful strategy.
Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB)
Sylvia K. Plevritis, PhD, Principal Investigator
The Stanford Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB) is one of twelve National Centers for Systems Biology funded by the National Institute of Health and National Cancer Institute. The Center is located at Stanford University School of Medicine and represents a multi-disciplinary collaboration. The Stanford CCSB aims to discover molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression by studying cancer as a complex biological system that is driven, in part, by impaired differentiation.
Center for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technology at Stanford
Gary Glover, PhD, Principal Investigator
The Center for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technology at Stanford (CAMRT) was established as a National Research Resource in January 1995. The Center joins the Radiology Department's Richard M. Lucas Center for Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging with those of the Electrical Engineering Department's Magnetic Resonance Systems Research Laboratory toward the common goals of developing innovative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy (MRI/MRS) techniques for fundamental anatomic, physiologic and pathophysiologic studies, and serving the academic and scientific community through collaborations, education and access to Center facilities and resources.
Our mission is to develop innovative MR technology and make it widely available to users and students locally and nationwide. Core development is motivated by
- core director's vision for technology advancement,
- potential for future hypothesis-driven research,
- medical need and potential health impact,
- opportunity for collaboration and feedback from collaborators,
- service application.
