Scientific Lectures //
Introduction to NIAID and Imaging Infectious Disease at the Integrated Research Facility
David Thomasson, Ph.D. - NIAID – National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease
Presented: September 10, 2014
The NIAID IRF at Fort Detrick in Maryland was created to carry out biodefense research needed to understand the clinical disease processes which correlate with the severity of microbial-induced disease. Central to the core mission of the NIAID OCSIRF at Fort Detrick is the use of hospital tools, such as endoscopy, cardiac telemetry monitors, and CT, MRI, SPECT, and PET imaging, to systematically evaluate the pathogenic processes and clinical course of disease in large animal models exposed to microbes.
Dr. Thomasson obtained his Ph.D. in Medical Physics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1991. After a post-doctoral position at UCSF he joined the MRI Research and Development Group at Siemens. He is presently the Imaging Physics Manager of NIAID’s Integrated Research Facility.
IRF has unique imaging facilities (CT, MRI, SPECT, and PET) contained within a Level-4 Biosafety Laboratory. There is interest in collaborating with MRN on image processing, data analysis, and possible integration of electrophysiological assessment modalities into the BSL-4.