Center for Imaging Research with Radiation in Radiology (CIR³)

Focus

The central mission of the Center for Imaging Research with Radiation in Radiology (CIR³⁾ is technology innovation in the space of biomedical imaging with radiation. Transmission (x-ray, fluoroscopy, CT) and emission (SPECT, PET) imaging are essential pillars for generating anatomical and disease-specific information for preclinical and clinical diagnostics and therapy. The CIR³ contribution to advancing biomedical imaging includes software and hardware developments spanning the entire imaging chain from instrumentation and data acquisition to image reconstruction and postprocessing. The center provides state-of-the-art nano- to macro-scale imaging instruments, including, for example the PennPET Explorer (extended field-of-view PET scanner) or spectral CT scanners equipped with photon-counting detectors. The setting merges a technology-rich environment with expertise in preclinical and clinical applications, and provides an opportunity to combine technology for different imaging modalities.

The CIR³ was founded at Penn Medicine in 2021 and participating research groups include the Laboratory for Advanced Computed Tomography Imaging, Nuclear Medicine Physics and Instrumentation Group, and X-ray Physics Lab, making it home to multiple interdisciplinary groups comprising basic scientists, engineers, physicists, radiologists, and physicians.