National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering: poised for the future.

Abstract

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is the newest of the research institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The bill establishing NIBIB, signed into law on December 29, 2000, represented the culmination of efforts extending back more than a quarter of a century to find a home for biomedical imaging and bioengineering research at the NIH (1). NIBIB is the first institute to focus on biomedical technology, and its creation represents a departure from the pattern set by the formation of the other institutes of the NIH, which generally focus on specific diseases or organ systems. The creation of NIBIB has opened new opportunities for cutting-edge science that might not otherwise receive NIH funding, because NIBIB focuses on the science of creating new technologies or new applications of existing technologies. The goal is to gain new fundamental knowledge about disease to improve early detection, treatment, and prevention. The tools developed with NIBIB support are expected to have far-reaching applications in biology and medicine and will therefore benefit research programs throughout the NIH and the universe of biomedical research (2). The staff of the NIBIB will make every effort to ensure that our programs strengthen or complement those of other institutes and centers, rather than duplicate or substitute for them. One way to accomplish this is through collaboration with other NIH institutes and centers, particularly on projects that involve specific diseases or organ systems. For example, NIBIB is joining with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in an initiative to support research on imaging of the beta cells of the pancreas. The goal is to develop noninvasive tools for monitoring of beta cell number and function. This would meet a critical need because current technology is unable to achieve this goal, and the lack of such a technique makes it impossible to answer a key question in diabetes research. That question is whether there is a decline in the function of beta cells or a loss in the number of cells. In addition, such a technique will allow assessment of therapeutic intervention. NIBIB is also participating in the Human Brain Project along with several other federal organizations, including 11 additional institutes of NIH, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of Energy. The project was developed to support research on neuroinformatics, a new field in which information technology is used to establish neuroscience databases, analytic tools, and knowledge management systems. Since receiving its first extramural research budget in January 2002, NIBIB has issued 13 requests for research grant applications and has participated, with other NIH institutes and federal agencies, in the release of 26 research program announcements. NIBIB is also establishing programs to help train a new generation of researchers in biomedical imaging and bioengineering, where team science is emphasized. One emerging research area supported by NIBIB involves in vivo imaging of small cell populations, molecules, and molecular events. With new devices and molecular probes that result from this research, scientists and clinicians may be able to noninvasively observe detailed biologic processes, such as gene expression, and track specific cells that move throughout the body. One new type of probe that shows considerable promise in this area is the fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystal known as the “quantum dot.” A particularly useful feature of quantum dots is that these crystals can be manufactured to produce light in any color of the rainbow, yet only one wavelength of light is needed to illuminate all of the variously colored dots. With these unique properties, quantum dots would allow researchers to track many different biologic molecules or cells simultaneously within the body. Also, once illuminated, quantum dots shine approximately 1,000 times longer than most fluorescent dyes. With NIBIB support, scientists are combining quantum dots with various ligands that bind to specific types of cells, such as tumor or inflammatory cells found in atherosclerotic plaque. NIBIB support is also enabling the development of optical technologies, such as optical coherence tomography, fluorescence imaging, and near-infrared spectros