Micro-CT imaging of breast tumors in rodents using a liposomal, nanoparticle contrast agent.
Abstract
A long circulating liposomal, nanoscale blood pool agent encapsulating traditional iodinated contrast agent (65 mg I/mL) was used for micro-computed tomography (CT) imaging of rats implanted with R3230AC mammary carcinoma. Three-dimensional vascular architecture of tumors was imaged at 100-micron isotropic resolution. The image data showed good qualitative correlation with pathologic findings. The approach holds promise for studying tumor angiogenesis and for evaluating anti-angiogenesis therapies.
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Scholars@Duke

Ehsan Samei
Dr. Ehsan Samei, PhD, DABR, FAAPM, FSPIE, FAIMBE, FIOMP, FACR is a Persian-American medical physicist. He is the Reed and Martha Rice Distinguished Professor of Radiology, and Professor of Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University. He serves as the Chief Imaging Physicist for Duke University Health System, the Director of the Carl E Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories and the Center for Virtual Imaging Trials (CVIT), and co-PI of one the five Centers of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), Triangle CERSI. He is certified by the American Board of Radiology, recognized as a Distinguished Investigator by the Academy of Radiology Research, and awarded Fellow by five professional organization. He founded/co-founded the Duke Medical Physics Program, the Duke Imaging Physics Residency Program, the Duke Clinical Imaging Physics Group, the Center for Virtual Imaging Trials, and the Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs (SDAMPP). He has held senior leadership positions in the AAPM, SPIE, SDAMPP, and RSNA, including election to the presidency of the SEAAPM (2010-2011), SDAMPP (2011), and AAPM (2023).
Dr. Samei's scientific expertise include x-ray imaging, theoretical imaging models, simulation methods, and experimental techniques in medical image formation, quantification, and perception. His research aims to bridge the gap between scientific scholarship and clinical practice, in the meaningful realization of translational research, and in clinical processes that are informed by scientific evidence. He has advanced image quality and safety metrics and radiometrics that are clinically relevant and that can be used to design, optimize, and monitor interpretive and quantitative performance of imaging techniques. These have been implemented in advanced imaging performance characterization, procedural optimization, and clinical dose and quality analytics. His most recent research interests have been virtual clinical trial across a broad spectrum of oncologic, pulmonary, cardiac, and vascular diseases, and developing methodological advances that provide smart fusions of principle-informed and AI-based, data-informed approaches to scientific inquiry.
Dr. Samei has mentored over 140 trainees (graduate and postgraduate). He has more than 1400 scientific publications including more than 360 referred journal articles, 600 conference presentations, and 4 books. Citations to his work is reflected in an h-index of 74 and a Weighted Relative Citation Ratio of 613. His laboratory of over 20 researchers has been supported continuously over two decades by 44 extramural grants, culminating in a NIH Program Project grant in 2021 to establish the national Center for Virtual Imaging Trials (CVIT), joining a small number of prominent Biomedical Technology Research Centers across the nation. In 2023, he, along with 3 other PIs, was awarded to lead one of five national Centers of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (Triangle CERSI) by the FDA.

Robert Saunders

Cristian Tudorel Badea
- Our lab's research focus lies primarily in developing novel quantitative imaging systems, reconstruction algorithms and analysis methods. My major expertise is in preclinical CT.
- Currently, we are particularly interested in developing novel strategies for spectral CT imaging using nanoparticle-based contrast agents for theranostics (i.e. therapy and diagnostics).
- We are also engaged in developing new approaches for multidimensional CT image reconstruction suitable to address difficult undersampling cases in cardiac and spectral CT (dual energy and photon counting) using compressed sensing and/or deep learning.
- We are involved in co-clinical cancer trials and I have served as the Principal Investigator on the U24 Duke Preclinical Research Resources for Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers part of the NCI Co-Clinical Imaging Research Resources Program network (CIRP).

Rex Colle Bentley
Outcome-based research on pathology of endometrial carcinoma, including prognostic significance of histologic features of endometrial carcinoma, variants of endometrial carcinoma, definitions of atypia and well-differentiated carcinoma, and collaborative studies of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in endometrial carcinoma.
Endometrial pathology, especially as it relates to molecular/genetic alterations in neoplasms.
Ovarian pathology, especially as it relates to molecular and genetic alterations in neoplasms.
Improving accuracy of radiographic screening for breast cancer, by careful patho-radiographic correlation and study of improved imaging techniques (especially ultrasound).
Use of electron microscopy as a diagnostic and research technique.
Objective measures of pathology resident performance.
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