# In Vivo Imaging Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $59,104

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY: IN VIVO IMAGING MODULE 
 The Vanderbilt Vision Research Center (VVRC) includes faculty investigators with a strong interest in 
discerning structure-function and function-cognition relationships in the visual pathways in awake animals, 
including non-human primates, and human subjects. The purpose of the VVRC In Vivo Imaging Module is to 
provide a comprehensive resource for all non-invasive imaging research that utilizes animals, including non- 
human primates, or human subjects. This module gives investigators and their staff access to state-of-the-art 
live animal and human imaging facilities, offline analysis, and technical expertise through subsidized 
scholarship use of the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS). The VUIIS has a core 
program of research related to developing new imaging technology based on advances in physics, 
engineering, and computer science. In addition to high-field MRI and MR spectroscopy, ultrasound, optical and 
other modalities in human subjects, the VUIIS offers state-of-the-art options for small animal and non-human 
primate imaging in all modalities. These resources are provided through the Center for Human Imaging 
(Directed by Module Director Seth Smith) and the Center for Small Animal Imaging (CSAI). The scholarship 
system is implemented by the VUMC Office of Research and is utilized instead of a discount or co-pay via the 
VUMC ILab accounting system. In the current funding cycle, the In Vivo Imaging Module was used by 11 
investigators who authored 89 publications using the service, and saved our investigators $2229,325 through 
issuance and utilization of 35 scholarships. In the next cycle, we expect moderate to extensive use by 17 of 36 
investigators. The In Vivo Imaging Module, housed in centralized locations sufficient for numerous independent 
non-invasive imaging platforms, is directed by Associate Professor Seth Smith, PhD. Using resources and 
personnel supported in part by this Core mechanism, the VVRC IN Vivo Imaging Module will (1) develop and 
deploy advanced, multi-modal imaging technologies to the study of human vision, its processing, and coupled 
neuroscience, (2) develop and deploy a multi-modal set of imaging tools for the study of vision in animal 
models, and (3) develop Infrastructure for imaging informatics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning for 
state-of-the-art analysis of “big vision data”. These services and resources will enhance the scope of 
experimentation NEI-funded VVRC investigators conduct, expand the training of students and fellows involved 
in vision science, and promote collaboration by providing sophisticated, high-resolution and diverse imaging 
platforms to those who otherwise would not have such capabilities, including early-career vision scientists and 
clinician-scientists competing for extramural funding for their laboratories.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10017253
- **Project number:** 5P30EY008126-33
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** FRANK TONG
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $59,104
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-04-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10017253

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10017253, In Vivo Imaging Core (5P30EY008126-33). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10017253. Licensed CC0.

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