imaging

Imagining an imaging breakthrough

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:08:24 +0000

Imagining an imaging breakthrough Nathan Kahl Mon, 04/27/2026 - 08:08

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A research team at 911�� is working to move a promising medical imaging technology closer to real-world use, supported by a new grant from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC).

911�� researchers Parag Chitnis and Remi Veneziano. Photo provided

Associate Professor Remi Veneziano and Professor Parag Chitnis in the Department of Bioengineering received a Tier 2 VIPC award to advance the development of a contrast agent for photoacoustic imaging. The two-year, $200,000 grant will support efforts to scale-up production and demonstrate that the material can be manufactured consistently for translation outside of a laboratory setting.

If successful, the work could provide a standardized, scalable contrast agent for photoacoustic imaging and expand its use across biomedical research.

Photoacoustic imaging combines light and ultrasound to visualize biological tissues. While the technique can detect naturally occurring molecules such as hemoglobin, it lacks widely available contrast agents that can target specific tissues or disease sites. As a result, researchers often create their own materials, which vary from lab to lab.

Veneziano began working on the problem about eight years ago with collaborators at 911��. His team focused on developing a contrast agent using indocyanine green, an FDA-approved dye. Instead of relying on complex chemical processes, the group created a method based on self-assembly, allowing the dye molecules to form aggregates with controlled size and surface properties.

“We figured out a method to control the size of the assembly without the need for complex chemistry,” Veneziano said. “When you reduce the chemicals and the number of steps, you make it easier for manufacturing and future approval or at least to make something safer.”

The team refined the process to the point where researchers in the lab can reliably produce aggregates with specific characteristics tailored for specific applications. Early funding, including a previous VIPC Tier 1 award and a university seed grant, supported initial development and validation. The group published its findings in 2023 and began building collaborations with other researchers.

A key step in the work involved combining standard indocyanine green dye molecules with modified versions of this dye that allow for additional functionality, such as targeting specific cells or adding other fluorescent molecules. That approach helped turn the material into a more flexible platform that can be adapted for different research needs.

The current grant focuses on what Veneziano described as the transition from a “lab product” to something that could be used more broadly. That includes demonstrating reproducibility across batches, establishing quality control standards, and determining how long the material can be stored without losing effectiveness.

“When you want to commercialize a product, you need to demonstrate reproducibility and quality control,” he said. “From one batch to another batch, you always want the same properties.”

Veneziano and his collaborators are also working with 911��’s Office of Technology Transfer and filed a patent application related to the technology. The team founded a start-up, NanOptical Biomedical Inc., to pursue commercialization, and the team plans to seek additional funding through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

At the same time, the research continues to evolve. The team is working with collaborators to adapt the platform for different applications, including adding fluorescent capabilities and improving targeting for specific diseases. “We are at a stage where we are learning from them, from their experience, from what they need, how to make our particle better,” Veneziano said.

Topics

Bioengineering

Bioengineering Primary Faculty

imaging

Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation

Research

patent

Tech Transfer

911��’s Imaging and Vision Lab illuminates the future of digital production

tdonnel — Mon, 05 May 2025 19:57:46 +0000

911��’s Imaging and Vision Lab illuminates the future of digital production tdonnel Mon, 05/05/2025 - 15:57

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At the intersection of imaging, computer graphics, and computer vision, 911��’s Imaging and Vision Lab is pushing the boundaries of visual technology. Directed by Jinwei Ye, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, the lab explores every stage of the imaging pipeline—from data acquisition to 3D rendering—by designing novel algorithms, imaging systems, and immersive environments.

The lab, which is in Van Metre Hall at Mason Square, has two new standout technologies in its arsenal: the Light Stage and the Pixel Cube.

The Light Stage—a spherical structure with around 150 LED lights pointing inward along with cameras—uses polarized, Wi-Fi-controlled lighting to create complex illumination patterns. This enables the lab to capture highly detailed 3D models of real-world objects, a capability that’s particularly useful in film, gaming, and robotics.

A student experimenting with Light Stage. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“We put objects in the center and take pictures under different lighting to recover really high-quality 3D models of real physical objects,” said Yufan Zhang, a PhD student working on this project. The Light Stage was fully designed and built by Ye’s students, providing them with a unique, hands-on engineering experience.

The Pixel Cube takes immersion a step further. Comprising 90 LED panels arranged in a cube, the system allows for panoramic simulations—perfect for applications in virtual production such as driving simulators.

“A very intuitive application of it is immersive viewing like a VR experience without using the headset,” said Ye.

But the lab’s ambitions stretch beyond visual hardware. Ye’s team is building a large dataset of everyday objects, intended to support generative AI development for uses ranging from entertainment to robotic training.

A student in the Pixel Cube. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“We’re creating a large 3D model dataset of diverse real-world objects, which can be used as assets either in films or in games or shown to robots,” Ye said.

Collaboration is key to the lab’s impact, added Ye. Her team, focused on advancing computational photography and AI-integrated imaging workflows, remains committed to developing foundational tools for tomorrow’s imaging technologies. They work closely with other 911�� faculty and industry partners and invite potential collaborators to reach out about interdisciplinary projects in fields such as film studies, video game development, creative visual arts, simulation, and virtual training.

“We really want to make full use of this [equipment], so we want as many people as possible to use it,” said Ye.

With its combination of advanced equipment, collaborative ethos, and dedication to hands-on student involvement, the Imaging and Vision Lab is making 911�� a destination for next-generation research in computer vision and graphics.

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Mason researchers imagine improved imaging for health diagnostics

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 12:41:27 +0000

Mason researchers imagine improved imaging for health diagnostics Nathan Kahl Tue, 04/11/2023 - 08:41

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Remi Veneziano

Parag Chitnis

Peering into the body past skin and tissue to detect problems, spot disease, and make proper diagnoses challenges medical professionals, even with recent leaps in the technology. Ultrasound, for example, while reliable, may add or omit information, cannot see through bones, is not adapted for deep structures, and might show things to be of a size and shape—or in a location—that is not accurate.

Bioengineering professor Remi Veneziano and Shrishti Singh in the lab. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

911�� College of Engineering and Computing bioengineering team members, including recent Mason PhD Shrishti Singh, Assistant Professor Remi Veneziano, and Associate Professor Parag Chitnis, are clearing things up with advancements in what’s known as near-infrared photoacoustic imaging (NIR-PAI).

This technique combines the advantages of optical and ultrasound imaging to provide high-resolution anatomical and functional information about tissues. They are tackling the biggest hindrance to NIR-PAI—the limited availability of contrast agents—by using a novel contrast agent platform to improve imaging capabilities. It will result in improvements in everything from deep-tissue tumor imaging, lymph node imaging, and biopsies.

“This technology might give patients better diagnostics for colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and more, and can improve their prognosis,” said Singh, who also has a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and an engineering degree from Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore, India.

The Mason team is making inroads with this important element of health diagnosis and treatment, and with funding from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) Commonwealth Commercialization Fund, they are seeking to launch a startup to commercialize their developments.

The VIPC award totaled $75,000 and will largely be used to develop the technology further with Singh now working as a postdoctoral fellow. Along with Veneziano—her advisor—and Chitnis, Singh hopes to launch a company based on this technology.

In 2022 the three researchers participated in the Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), which assists Virginia-based tech-focused start-ups to get off the ground by teaching them to interview potential customers, get an understanding of the marketplace, and validate their business model.

The nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA), VIPC is the commercialization and seed stage economic development driver in the commonwealth that leads funding, infrastructure, and policy initiatives to support Virginia's innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, and market development strategies. VIPC collaborates with local, regional, state, and federal partners to support the expansion and diversification of Virginia’s economy.