uWAMIT brings together the UW Department of Radiology, College of Engineering, and the Applied Physics Laboratory to discover new innovations in molecular imaging and therapy.

Dedicated to clinical translation, uWAMIT focuses on the point of use clinical constraints and outcomes that develop into healcare opportunities.

uWAMIT is focused on launching new startups and partnering with existing companies to develop and translate molecular imaging and therapy technology.

• Use Ultrasound in Molecular Imaging and Therapy. Ultrasound's availability, low cost, and real-time operation will transform the way medicine is conducted around the world.
• Early Stage Cancer Detection. Cancer-specific molecular probes attach to cancerous regions in the body enabling early stage screening and diagnosis of prostate, ovarian, colon, and many other cancers.
• Targeted Drug Delivery for Cancer Treatment. Specific molecular probes attached to pharmaceutical agents, such as chemotherapeutics, deliver treatment only to the affected cancerous region.
• Targeted Gene Therapy. Ultrasound mediates the transfer of genes to treat diseases such as hemophilia, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, and cystic fibrosis.
• Develop and Manufacture Site-Targeted Molecular Probes. uWAMIT develops manufacturing processes to produce and characterize contrast agents, nanoparticles, and other molecular biomarkers.

• Molecular screening identifies a high-risk individual
• Molecular imaging tests confirm disease onset and location specific to individual
• Targeted molecular therapies specific to the individual are delivered to treat disease

At uWAMIT we believe ultrasound is the enabler of molecular imaging and therapy. Just as in conventional imaging, where more ultrasound procedures are performed than any other modality, ultrasound will become a primary delivery mechanism for molecular medicine. Ultrasound is widely available, has low operating and capital costs, and operates in real time in the clinic.

uWAMIT is bridging the gap between good ideas by university invesigators and commercial solutions for improved healcare by focusing on the clinical outcomes and specific clinical constraints that develop into healthcare opportunities. uWAMIT aligns the clinical market opportunity with internal research objectives to connect opportunity with innovation.

uWAMIT is positioned strategically to:

• Focus on clinical outcomes and specific clinical constraints that develop into healcare opportunities
• Align clinical market opportunities with internal research objectives
• Develop new companies and license existing technology
• Partner with existing companies to pursue market opportunities

uWAMIT is located on the 3rd floor of the Benjamin Hall Interdisciplinary Research Building on the western edge of the UW campus in Seattle.

uWAMIT brings together multidisciplinary UW faculty to focus university research assets on:

• Designing and synthesizing novel molecular probes
• Developing and validating imaging systems and protocols for molecular imaging
• Initiating collaboration among chemists, biologists, physicists, engineers, and physicians
• Developing ultrasound-assisted molecular therapies
• Translating research results into commercial healthcare solutions

Current uWAMIT research is focused on projects that integrate ultasound with biomolecular tools. These projects leverage our exisitng strengths in ultrasound and molecular imaging, have high potential for growth, form a strategic alliance between molecular ultrasound programs at the UW, and have clear potential paths to commercialization.

• Synthetic ultrasound imaging methods for tissue, blood flow, and ultrasound contrast agents
• Ultrasound detection and characterization of kidney stones
• Liver fibrosis assessment with shear wave elastography
• Ultrasound therapy assessment and monitoring in the liver
• Ultrasound assessment of vessel wall dynamics

• Nonlinear imaging methods for ultrasound contrast agents
• Image-guided, ultrasound-mediated drug delivery
• Ex-vivo machine perfusion of human-sized livers
• Imaging and quantification of tumor angiogenesis, tumor therapy assessment
• Carotid plaque neovascularization as a biomarker of atherosclerosis

• 4-D ultrasound, ultrasound–ultrasound fusion, CEUS, elastography for image guidance and response assessment during microwave tumor ablation
• Thermal ablation combined with chemoembolization: Evaluation of tumor perfusion and drug delivery
• 2-D perfusion angiography during chemoembolization
• 4-D ultrasound during intratumoral infusion

• Noninvasive abscess ablation
• Genomics and epigenetics tools
• Ultrasound contrast agent characterization
• Theranostic agents
• Cell sorting
• Hematoma treatment

• Biomedical imaging
• Photoacoustics
• Ultrasonics
• Molecular contrast agents

Multifunctional nanostructures based on nanoparticle surfactants for ultrasound imaging and photothermal therapy

Development of a cytomagnetosonoporation technique for MRI labeling of stem cells

Parathyroid ultrasound identification and correlation with surgical outcomes

Development of targeted microbubbles for ultrasound-mediated gene transfer to the brain

Evaluation of porous polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels for contrast-enhanced ultrasound