Virginia Spanoudaki, PhD, Scientific Director
vspan@mit.edu
Virginia is a physicist with expertise in the design, development, deployment and evaluation of non-invasive, imaging-based digital technologies and methodologies for assessing the disease phenotype and its response to therapy. Her current interests lie in imaging-as-a-service workflow optimization, digitization and throughput, multi-modal data integration and quantification, advanced data analytics and visualization, refinement and translatability of non-clinical imaging approaches to the clinical context and establishing the centrality of biomedical imaging in capturing biological responses and heterogeneities at the molecular, biochemical, cellular and organ level. Virginia completed her PhD in experimental physics in 2008 with a focus on nuclear medicine technology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). She continued her postdoctoral training at Stanford University where she focused on computational evaluation of radiation-based diagnostic technologies for clinical breast and full-body imaging, before she moved to Philips Research in 2012 where she was responsible for technology demonstration of digital photonics. Virginia returned to academia, in the Langer and Anderson Labs at MIT, where she developed a multimodal portfolio of imaging-based approaches for the evaluation of drug delivery devices. She was a Visiting Scientist at CERN in 2017 collaborating on nanoscale radiation sensors and since 2019 she leads Preclinical I&T. Virginia also serves at MIT’s Open Data Committee created by MIT libraries and the School of Science. Virginia has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and is a co-inventor on several issued or pending patents.
Milton Cornwall-Brady, MSc, MicroCT imaging
miltoncb@mit.edu
Milton has a background in physics and neuroscience that led to a career in biotech with a focus on non-invasive imaging. Ten years in industry (UCB, Acceleron Pharma, and Bioventus) and another nine at MIT has involved preclinical research in various therapeutic areas with an emphasis on cancer and bone disorders such as osteoporosis. Current work involves assisting researchers in planning, conducting, and interpreting x-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT) studies. This includes developing new experimental methods to optimize data acquisition (improved respiratory gating, contrast enhanced imaging, dual energy CT, etc.) as well as quantitatively and qualitatively exploring the acquired data. Additional work involves collaborative multi-modality imaging studies, developing customized image processing workflows, and the design and 3D printing of customized holders for in vivo and ex vivo use.
Aurora Burds-Connor, PhD, Preclinical Testing Project Management
aaburds@mit.edu
After generating and characterizing knockout mice during grad school in the Dept of Biology at MIT, Aurora was recruited as the founding Director of the Mouse ES Cell and Transgenics Core Facility, which has developed into the KI Preclinical Modeling Core Facility. Having designed and generated hundreds of new mouse models of disease, she then launched the KI Applied Therapeutics Core to assist researchers who wished to use these models to test new chemotherapeutics. This core expanded and evolved into today’s KI Preclinical Imaging & Testing Core Facility, and Aurora is the project coordinator for its Preclinical Testing Studies. Aurora is available to assist with the design, CAC approval, scheduling, performance and analysis of your Preclinical Testing studies in mice and rats. These services can include toxicity testing, biodistribution and excretion measurements, tumor initiation and monitoring, animal welfare concerns, post-mortem sampling for biochemical or histological assays, and much more. She also facilitates the coordination of necessary services that are provided by the Preclinical Imaging experts in this core, by the Preclinical Modeling Core that manages a repository of over 400 tumor cell lines, by DCM, and by other KI Cores.
Sarah Elmiligy, BSc, Optical Imaging
elmiligy@mit.edu
Sarah Elmiligy received a BA in biology with a specialization in neuroscience from Boston University, where she studied olfactory mechanisms underlying sociosexual behavior in mice as part of her honors distinction thesis. She continued in neuroscience research at McClean Hospital, where she investigated mitochondrial abnormalities in disorders such as BD and Schizophrenia. In 2012, Sarah joined MIT as a member of the Animal Imaging and Preclinical Testing and ES Cell and Transgenics core facilities, where she facilitated translational studies using mouse models of human cancers. Currently, Sarah oversees operations of the most used imaging modality in the Preclinical Imaging and Testing facility, the in vivo optical imaging instruments. She provides technical training in bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging of preclinical animal models; imaging consultation to optimize study design and achieve experimental goals; and assisted use services including imaging setup, image acquisition, and data analysis. Sarah’s work in preclinical optical imaging enables the understanding of biodistribution of novel drugs, tracking disease progression, and evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic candidates — and often serves as the starting point for researchers to use higher resolution imaging modalities, such as MRI and PET.
Nicole Henning, BSc, RLATg, CMAR, Ultrasound Imaging & Preclinical Testing Technical Services
nhenning@mit.edu
Nicole Henning is an Ultrasound Research Specialist with the Preclinical Imaging and Testing Core. Refinement in animal research is a driver of all that Nicole does from minimally invasive ultrasound imaging and ultrasound guided injections (USGI) to animal welfare focused handling and dosing techniques. She has expertise in USGI for disease initiation and experience with USGI therapeutic administration on different organ targets and vasculature; volumetric and functional imaging and analysis; as well as morphological anomaly detection. Nicole has been recognized at MIT for her collaborations and innovations with an Infinite Mile Award and an Excellence Award in Innovating Solutions. She holds a B.S. in Animal Science from University of Illinois, Masters Certificate in Biotechnology from Roosevelt University, and maintains Registered status for Certified Manager of Animal Resources (CMAR) and Laboratory Animal Technologist (RLATg). Since 2005 Nicole has been supporting preclinical research with breeding and technical expertise, and project management in pharma and academic vivaria at University of Chicago and Charles River Insourcing Solutions at Sanofi sites.
Wei Huang, PhD, MRI Imaging
huangw@mit.edu
Wei Huang received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) developing algorithms for MRI image registration and segmentation. With over 15 years of experience in MRI applications, she has developed a deep understanding of MRI technology and its applications in both small animal models and human subjects. Before joining the Koch Institute, Wei developed multiple MRI applications in translational studies at UMASS Medical School to better understand underlying neurological mechanisms. Her work has used functional MRI (fMRI), MR spectroscopy (MRS) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Since joining the Preclinical Imaging and Testing Facility at the Koch Institute of MIT, Wei has focused her efforts on developing a portfolio of services such as structural MRI, T1/T2/T2* quantitative relaxometry, cardiovascular functional imaging and blood flow MRI, MRS, Pharmacological MRI (phMRI), PH imaging, etc. These technologies have been applied in various fields such as cancer research, cardiac therapy, material engineering and neuroscience. Wei is a passionate educator and mentor, loving to share her knowledge and experience with students and junior researchers. Her MRI expertise has helped numerous researchers whose work was published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences.
PET Imaging, CFT Imaging & Gamma Counting
aiptcore@mit.edu
The PET/CFT Staff received their BSc in Biology from UMass Amherst, where their first job was in the world of fish genetics which eventually led to a position in the genomics sequencing core at Umass. They then started a position at Children’s Hospital Boston doing biomedical research in the field of Iron metabolism and uptake. From there they took a position at UCLA managing mouse colonies and eventually worked with PET imaging of novel F18 based probes. This led to an opportunity to return home to work in the Global Imaging Group of Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research also doing PET imaging and more specifically imaging of Biologics using 64Cu, 89Zr, and 124I. In 2015 they joined MIT as a member of the Animal Imaging Core where they helped establish the newly acquired G8 PET machine. In 2022 they received the responsibility of running the newly acquired EMIT Xerra Cryo Fluorescent Tomography machine.
Adam Patch, PhD, Data Science & Computation
patch@mit.edu
Adam Patch, is a data scientist with a background in physics, computation, and scientific collaboration. Since Fall 2021, he has been working at the Swanson Biotechnology Center’s Preclinical Imaging and Testing Facility, where he focuses on the facility’s imaging data. Previously he was a data scientist and director of data science at PatientsLikeMe. His background education and training include a PhD in Physics from Syracuse University, postdoctoral research at Florida Atlantic University and a fellowship in Health Data from Insight Data Science. Adam is an advocate for data sharing and FAIRification in an effort to make science more collaborative. If you are interested in learning more about his work, discussing data challenges, or exploring opportunities to collaborate, please reach out to Adam.
Anderson Scott, PhD, Image Analytics
scott804@mit.edu
Anderson Scott received his PhD in Bioengineering from University of California, San Diego (UCSD) where he developed techniques for utilizing clinically acquired 4D CT images to improve the assessment of right ventricular function in heart failure. He completed his postdoctoral research in the application of AI techniques to detect subclinical dysfunction from CT in patients with various forms of cardiac and valvular disease. This includes developing automatic segmentation and image tracking tools for the ventricular walls of the heart. He combined these analyses with other clinically available data such as hemodynamic pressure recordings to further identify risk factors for patients in heart failure. Anderson has authored multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals on this work. He joined the Koch Institute of MIT as an image analysis specialist in 2024.
Slack
Street Address
Preclinical Imaging & Testing Facility
Koch Institute at MIT, Suites 76-188 & 76-720
500 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02139