The mission of the Dynamic Imaging Science Center is to better understand the science of human movement in health and disease, through the development and use of non-invasive imaging. Current projects include screening for fetal abnormalities; lung imaging to identify ventilation-perfusion mismatch and lung cancer nodules; the imaging of the upper airway vocal tract during speech production, swallowing, and sleep; imaging movement of joints such as the wrist; and robust imaging of the heart including wall motion, perfusion, and scar. The facility operates a high-performance 0.55 Tesla whole-body MRI scanner, with a wide range of physiological monitoring systems that can be utilized simultaneously with imaging.
The Center is supported by the National Science Foundation, Viterbi School of Engineering, and Siemens Healthineers. Diverse research activities are supported by a full time Research Scientist and an on-site Scientist from Siemens. DISC is managed by a Director (K. Nayak), a Management and Oversight Board, and a Technical Advisory Committee.