Welcome to the University of Colorado Research Imaging Center (CU-RIC)
We are using state-of-the-art medical imaging technologies to advance the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.
The center currently operates a PET/MR and a PET/CT scanner with a third imaging bay to house a future third imaging modality.
The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) with either magnetic resonance imaging (MR) or computed tomography (CT) allows simultaneously acquiring information on biochemical receptors or metabolic pathways with PET at the same time as anatomical and blood flow with CT or MR.
For neurological activation studies, MR can provide real-time measurements of regional activity measurements in brain regions useful for surgical planning or functional mapping of the brain.
PET radiopharmaceuticals are provided through a partnership with PharmaLogic that operates a medical cyclotron and radiopharmacy just adjacent to the CU-RIC in the Bioscience 3 building.
Major areas of clinical and research interest at CU-RIC include:
- traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- neurodegeneration
- addiction
- energy metabolism
- cancer diagnosis and treatment (theranostics)
The center also has active collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry to participate in clinical trials with new drug therapies or PET radiopharmaceuticals.