July 9, 2004

Biomedical Imaging Core supports Martinos imaging studies

The new Biomedical Imaging Core of the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) is providing crucial support - both people and equipment - for the groundbreaking research carried out at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center. "This facility allows us to bring the advanced imaging technologies we have together with the MGH's secret weapon - our nursing staff," said Greg Sorensen, MD, associate director of the Martinos Center and director of the Biomedical Imaging Core, at the June 24 celebration of the core's completion.

Located at CNY Building 149, one floor above the powerful MRI and MEG units at the Martinos Center, the Biomedical Imaging Core is equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring equipment that parallels the equipment in the scanner rooms. This allows both taking preliminary baseline measurements before research participants move to the scanners and the conducting of pilot studies to verify a protocol's feasibility before
a full study.

The core also is equipped with the medical support equipment necessary to deal with any emergencies. In addition to the on-site nursing staff, a metabolic kitchen allows preparation of special dietary products that may be needed for studies, and there is a small laboratory for specimen preparation. One room designed for optical and EEG recordings has special shielding to keep out the powerful electronic and magnetic fields generated by the Martinos Center equipment.

Randy Gollub, MD, PhD, an MGH psychiatrist and co-director of the Biomedical Imaging Core, explains that Martinos clinical studies had been assisted by the MGH/MIT GCRC, based on White 13. "But the logistics of doing studies at CNY was a nightmare. The new facility not only streamlines our operations, it also gives us the ability to support a broader range of investigators," said Gollub.

Gollub notes that Bruce Rosen, MD, PhD, director of the Martinos Center, had the original inspiration for the core, which is staffed, equipped and maintained largely through National Institutes of Health funding from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR). Through the MGH's participation in the NCRR-sponsored Biomedical Informatics Research Network project, the core will help disseminate biomedical imaging and computational informatics advances developed both locally at the Martinos Center and nationally to the broader clinical research community.