Massachusetts General Hospital | Imaging

Biography

Dr. Weissleder is a founding member of the Society for Molecular Imaging Research for which he served as President in 2002. His work has been honored with numerous awards including the Millenium Pharmaceuticals Innovator Award (2003), the J. Taylor International Prize in Medicine (2004), the AUR Memorial Award, the ARRS President's Award, The Society for Molecular Imaging Lifetime Achievement Award, the Academy of Molecular Imaging 2006 Distinguished Basic Scientist Award and the 2008 RSNA Outstanding Researcher Award. Most recently (2009), Dr. Weissleder was also elected as a new member of the United States National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine (IOM).

ResearchMy laboratory has three major areas of interest: 1) high-resolution microscopic imaging to study cancer treatment in vivo; 2) Using bioorthogonal chemistries to analyze intracellular protein networks involved in the molecular pathogenesis of complex human diseases to identify novel imaging and therapeutic targets; 3) Development of novel miniaturized sensing technologies (chips) for real-time high-throughput analysis of problems in biology.

Publications

View my most recent publications at PubMed

Prototype portable scanner provides fast, accurate cancer diagnosis

Dr. Ralph Weissleder and his colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a miniaturized nuclear magnetic resonance scanner, or micro-NMR to effectively increase both the speed and accuracy of tumor diagnoses.

Beyond the biopsy: A tiny monitor for cancer

The magnetic nanoparticle technology used in the device was developed by Ralph Weissleder, a professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Systems Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Can we detect cancer earlier?

Researchers affiliated with the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Radiology have developed a simple, noninvasive way to detect early cancer by using new technology to look at a component in the blood.

Immune response to heart attack worsens atherosclerosis, increases future risk

A heart attack doesn't just damage heart muscle tissue by cutting off its blood supply, it also sets off an inflammatory cascade that worsens underlying atherosclerosis, actively increasing the risk for a future heart attack, a new study finds.

Detection, analysis of 'cell dust' may allow diagnosis, monitoring of brain cancer

A novel miniature diagnostic platform using nuclear magnetic resonance technology is capable of detecting minuscule cell particles known as microvesicles in a drop of blood. Detecting microvesicles shed by cancer cells could prove a simple means for diagnosing cancer or monitoring treatment response.

Portable device provides rapid, accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis, other bacterial infections

A handheld diagnostic device that MGH investigators first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis and other important infectious bacteria.