The Laboratory of Integrative and Medical Biophysics (LIMB) performs cross-disciplinary research leading to a deeper understanding of cell and tissue processes in both normal and disease states. It also develops new methodologies for biomedical research and diagnosis. The laboratory’s work joins biomedical research to experimental and theoretical techniques commonly associated with research in the physical and engineering sciences. The staff’s specialized interests and expertise include optical imaging of biological tissues, magnetic resonance imaging, mathematical modeling, methods of quantitative cell biology, techniques for assessing ultra-small biological samples, and polymer physics and physical chemistry. The laboratory’s unique capabilities extend to advanced physical methods (e.g., photon and neutron scattering, magnetic resonance and optical imaging) and an ability to formulate mathematical and computational models. Investigators study biological function at various levels of complexity, from molecular to tissue, focusing on interactive behavior at different length and time scales. Much of LIMB’s work is strongly collaborative, and a number of research projects are carried out with colleagues in other NIH branches and laboratories as well as with investigators at other institutions.

LIMB is organized into four areas that reflect its several interests. The Section on Tissue Biophysics and Biomimetics, under Peter Passer, works to gain a better understanding of tissue-level processes, such as nerve excitability and load bearing in cartilage, by developing biomimetic tissue analogs and new physical theories and computational models to aid in the design and interpretation of biological experiments. The group is also continuing its development of Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) as a probe of tissue structure in normal or diseased organs, with particular emphasis on neurological tissues. The Section on Medical Biophysics, under Robert Bonner, develops new optically based biophysical methodologies for research and clinical applications. Continuing work focuses on advancing Laser Capture Microdissection and related technologies as tools for isolating targeted cells for use in both pathological investigation and studies of developing organisms. In addition, this group is developing analytic and statistical techniques for quantitative analysis of gene expression. The Section on Cell Biophysics, under Ralph Nossal, aims to understand the physical basis for various cell activities that involve structural changes in supramolecular biomolecular complexes. Currently, its principal focus is on elucidating processes underlying the formation of vesicles involved in intracellular trafficking and understanding the formation and transformation of supramolecular tubulin structures involved in various critical cell activities. The general long-term goal is to build and use an arsenal of tools, both theoretical and experimental, to study kinetic aspects of cell processes and to increase knowledge of the ways those activities can be mediated by external interventions. The Unit on Biomedical Stochastic Physics, under Amir Gandjbakhche, works on interactions between light and tissue as related to non-invasive optical imaging of biological targets. The unit’s long-term objective is to develop novel approaches to tomographic imaging and quantitative optical spectroscopy of deeply buried tissue structures, including tumors. To that end, the unit is carrying out a multifaceted experimental and computational research program that incorporates mathematical and physical theories and technologies, experimental models, and collaborative clinical investigations.