Cancer Imaging Program (CIP)Last Updated: 07/23/08
About the Associate Director
James L. Tatum, M.D., joined the Cancer Imaging Program (CIP) in 1998 as a special assistant to the associate director, lending his expertise to the areas of molecular imaging and imaging drug development. In 2006, Dr. Tatum became chief of CIP's Molecular Imaging Branch. Since July 2007, he has served as the associate director of CIP. More…
OVERVIEW
The Cancer Imaging Program (CIP) of the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD) is an innovative program that encourages coordination and collaboration among experts in basic, translational, and clinical research to advance the understanding of cancer imaging and to create better diagnosis and treatment options for patients.
The role of imaging in cancer research is changing, and CIP continues to be a catalyst for this transformation. In the past, the focus of imaging research was creating clearer and more detailed anatomic pictures of organs and tissues. Today, the primary new thrust in imaging is on functional or molecular imaging, which visualizes the physiological, cellular, or molecular processes in living tissues as they take place. Molecular imaging is critical for fundamental improvements in the care of cancer patients. While we continue to discover new molecular signatures of cancer in our crusade to develop more effective therapies with lower morbidity, these efforts can be successful only through understanding how these targets integrate into the complex systems of tumor biology. In vivo molecular imaging is a unique method to allow us to acquire this knowledge.
In the next decade, CIP-sponsored research will not only contribute to the basic understanding of various cancers, but it will enhance the clinical role of imaging in noninvasive diagnosis, help identify disease subsets in patients, improve disease staging and treatment monitoring, and play a pivotal role in the development of new therapies.
CIP unites researchers from disciplines as diverse as radiology, nuclear medicine, bioengineering, biology, chemistry, comuputer science, and physics in a team approach to problem solving. The program encourages extramural researchers to integrate and apply new imaging discoveries and developments to drug discovery, monitoring of therapies, and understanding cancer biology. This is all directly aimed at the clinical management of cancer and cancer risk. CIP divides its staff and administered grants among four branches:
- Diagnostic Imaging Branch
- Molecular Imaging Branch
- Image-Guided Intervention Branch
- Imaging Technology Development Branch
Through this organization, CIP supports and advises innovative investigators in academia and private industry as they create the next generation of imaging technologies, including molecular probes, imaging devices, and new contrast agents.
As part of its cutting-edge program, CIP plays a critical role in the activities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) contributing to the integration of imaging with emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, proteomics, and high-throughput screening. In addition to funding projects in key areas, CIP supports researchers by providing pooled resources and developing protocols that encourage the sharing of data, samples, and results. CIP’s portfolio included 408 funded grants during fiscal year 2007.
