Development and integration of multi-scale and multi-modal interrogation methods
The role of imaging in the characterization of neuropathological hallmarks has become indisputable. Imaging is a key technology, not only for fundamental research, but also in diagnostic and theragnostic medicine.
With the establishment of two core facilities (Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy and the Bio-imaging Lab), the Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp and the valorisation platform IMARK, the internationally recognized imaging expertise and available equipment at the University of Antwerp covers the full spectrum from molecule to man.
The integration of big image datasets acquired with different modalities creates new challenges with respect to registration, correlation and visualization. The next frontier is to integrate multiple imaging paradigms in order to obtain a comprehensive view of neuropathology across scales.
A direct comparison of image-based phenotypic profiles with functional readouts of neuronal physiology, (pre-)clinical data (e.g., genetics, clinical features, …) and evaluation of different model systems will allow for an improved characterization and understanding of the pathological alterations involved in neurological diseases.