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Editorials |
1 From the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 6707 Democracy Blvd, Suite 202, Bethesda, MD 20892-5477. Received June 25, 2003; accepted June 26. Address correspondence to C.A.F. (e-mail: feech@mail.nih.gov).
Index terms: Editorials • National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
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 spectroscopy. These methods rely on reflectance, fluorescence, and bioluminescence as sources of image contrast. Being light-based, these imaging technologies may be safer than those based on x-rays or ion beams. They also have the potential to be less expensive and more portable than the other techniques and therefore will be accessible to a wide range of medical centers, clinics, and outpatient facilities. Recently, NIBIB-supported scientists developed a high-resolution ultrasonographic scanning system that allows real-time monitoring of blood flow in the anterior portion of the eye. This will aid the understanding of glaucoma disease mechanisms and evaluation of the effectiveness of drug therapy. Other NIBIB-funded researchers are creating an infrared fiberoptic imaging system to identify early-stage degeneration of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis.
At NIBIB, a high priority has been placed on tissue engineering—broadly defined as the controlled utilization of living cells in a variety of ways to restore, maintain, and enhance specific tissue and organ function. Headway in the field has already been made in the synthesis and regeneration of structural tissues, such as skin, cartilage, and bone. In addition, bladder tissue has been successfully bioengineered for use in humans. Among other projects, NIBIB-funded researchers are studying the effects of extracellular matrix architecture on the behavior of capillary endothelial cells, which will aid in the design of engineered matrices to promote vascularization of bioengineered implants. Preliminary findings show that varying the geometry of microfabricated extracellular matrix islands affects endothelial cell shape and structure, which, in turn, determine whether the cells undergo proliferation or apoptosis.
NIBIB support has also been given to the development of new drug delivery devices, such as microfabricated microneedles. With techniques similar to those used to make integrated circuits, arrays of microneedles can be etched from silicon and used to deliver drugs through the skin. The microneedles are long enough to move the drugs through the outermost 10- to 15-µm skin layer, which is the primary barrier to transport, but not long enough to stimulate nerves, which are located in deeper tissue. Consequently, drug delivery through microneedles is painless and would enable controlled delivery of drugs or biologic macromolecules for hours and even days.
To ensure the availability of future scientists capable of conducting high-quality biomedical imaging and bioengineering research, pre- and postdoctoral training opportunities are offered by NIBIB, as well as career development awards designed to encourage individuals already working in quantitative science or engineering fields to pursue research careers in bioengineering or biomedical imaging. The NIH and NSF also provide training opportunities that are open to individuals interested in these fields. Included among these opportunities are research supplements for underrepresented minorities and individuals with disabilities. Also, in collaboration with the NSF, NIBIB is supporting the NIH-NSF Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Summer Institutes Program. In this 10-week summer program, undergraduate and graduate students majoring in the biologic sciences, computer sciences, engineering, mathematics, and physical sciences can explore interdisciplinary bioengineering or bioinformatics education and research experiences. A Web site containing additional information about the Summer Institutes Program is available at bbsi.eeicom.com.
The NIBIB extramural science program has recently been restructured into three divisions that reflect the nature and focus of research, development, and training efforts at the institute. The three divisions are Discovery Science and Technology, Applied Science and Technology, and Interdisciplinary Training. The new division of Interdisciplinary Training will significantly expand the training opportunities available at the institute. Initiatives under development include the establishment of a research training program for radiology residents at academic centers with sponsored research and training opportunities at the NIH in its intramural program, which is currently under development.
Sociologic and scientific issues that NIBIB will address in the future include health disparities among racial and ethnic groups and the decline in research funding awarded to young investigators. The latter issue is troubling because it threatens the future of biomedical research with a potential decline in the number of investigators and mentors of tomorrow. NIH data show that the percentage of "competing" grants going to investigators 35 years old and younger has declined from 23% in 1980 to less than 4% in 2001 (3). The reasons for this decline are no doubt complex and multifactoral. Formal training programs now last longer, and the industrial competition for young talent is stronger than ever. Moreover, because many biomedical scientists must now work until middle age before they can obtain a stable income, many promising young people may choose to forego biomedical research careers altogether and switch to professions that are financially rewarding at an earlier age. To help address this problem, promising young investigators will be targeted at NIBIB for support in grant preparation and funding. Support from training through the first independent grant award may also help address this concern and stimulate careers in biomedical imaging or engineering research.
Looking toward the future of NIBIB, a main driving force behind the growth and evolution of the institute may be the increasing need for multidisciplinary research to address the complex nature of biologic systems. For individual scientists, the sheer increase in the breadth of scientific information available on modern biomedical problems and the depth of complexity, particularly in this postgenome era, compel us to adopt a team approach to science, with each member of the team contributing to help integrate his or her own distinct area of expertise. It is clear that we have now entered an era in which major advances in biomedical research will come through interdisciplinary science executed by teams of scientists from the spectrum of physical sciences and biologic fields.
FOOTNOTES
Abbreviations: NIBIB = National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH = National Institutes of Health, NSF = National Science Foundation
REFERENCES
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