The Research Imaging Center (RIC) is a University of Texas Laboratory dedicated to biomedical imaging research. Structured to promote collaborative projects that cross departmental boundaries, the RIC is an independently administered departmental equivalent, reporting directly to the Dean of the School of Medicine. Reaching beyond the walls of the University, the RIC is a cooperative venture involving the Department ofDefense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

History. The foundation for this novel initiative was laid in 1985 when the Board of Regents designated The Health Science Center at San Antonio the Biotechnology Campus for the University of Texas system. This designation fostered the development of several highly specialized biotechnology centers, most recently the RIC. Funding for the RIC's creation was diverse, including private donations, endowment funds, a special-project appropriation by the State Legislature, and a joint-purchase contract between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. The Ross Perot Foundation made the single largest donation. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense jointly purchased the positron-emission tomography (PET) scanner, cyclotron, and radiochemistry laboratory. Such innovative funding arrangements reflect the consensus-building leadership of Health Science Center President, John P. Howe, III, M.D.

Mission. The mission of the RIC is to perform basic and clinical research using noninvasive, biomedical imaging methods for measuring the structure and function of living organisms. Human neuroscience research will be given highest priority.

Leadership. Following a national search, Peter T. Fox, M.D., was selected as Director of the Research Imaging Center. Fox is a neurologist who trained in PET imaging at the birthplace of this technology, the Washington University Laboratory of Michel Ter-Pogossian. Functional mapping of the human brain, Fox's research area, will be a strength of the RIC.

Organization. The four divisions of the RIC are the PET Division, the Electrophysiological Imaging Division, the Magnetic Resonance Division, and the Biomedical Image Analysis Division. Each division is administered by a chief serving on the RIC's Executive Committee.

Facilities. The RIC occupies two floors (33,000 square feet) of the McDermott Clinical Sciences Building. Current capital equipment includes a fully equipped PET laboratory (GE 4096 scanner, Scanditronix MC-17 cyclotron, and a fully robotic radiochemistry laboratory), a magnetic resonance imaging laboratory (Elscint 1-meter bore Prestige imager and GE 2T CSI imager), an event-related potentials laboratory; and a fully equipped computing laboratory. Projected facilities include an ultra-high-resolution, small-bore PET scanner and a magnetoencephalography laboratory.