Developing Novel & Safe Contrast Agent Platform For Photoacoustic Imaging
Remi Veneziano, Assistant Professor, Bioengineering, received funding from the National Science Foundation I-Corps Program for the project: "Towards a clinically translatable and standardized tissue ‘paint/contrast agent’ for photoacoustic imaging."
Veneziano is collaborating with Shrishti Singh, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Bioengineering, and Elizabeth Pyle, Life Science Business Mentor, Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), Virginia Small Business Development Center Network.
This I-Corps project is based on the development of a novel, easy to synthesize, size-tunable, and targeted contrast agent platform for photoacoustic imaging that can potentially solve unmet imaging needs in preclinical and clinical markets.
This technology would significantly increase the depth of imaging currently accessible with traditional contrast agent. It would also limit the safety risk, enhance the quality and contrast of photoacoustic imaging, and increase the targeting specificity to stain tissues and organs with higher precision.
Veneziano received $50,000 from NSF for this project. Funding began in May 2023 and will end in late Oct. 2023.
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