Where Discovery Creates Hope

There is no science for science’s sake

This is the story of the Medical Discovery Team on Optical Imaging and Brain Science. It’s about the people and culture driven to not just unlock the secrets of our most complicated organ, but, more importantly, discover what we can do when things go wrong.

Says Dr. Jakub Tolar, dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School: “The true innovators think of patients. They don’t come here to fill beakers. They come to help somebody with disease.”

We don’t like waiting for others to discover or improve things

Leading the efforts to image and understand the brain is Dr. Kamil Ugurbil, director of the Medical Discovery Team as well as the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research.

The physicist pioneered and continues to push the boundaries of MRI technology that uses powerful magnets to see into our soft tissues – and, in particular, the brain.

It is MRI, in fact, that make DBS possible, guiding surgeons to the one millimeter-sized target where they need to implant the electrodes that deliver corrective signals.

Says Dr. Ugurbil: “Neuro diseases are a major burden on society. More so than even cancer. We need tools to study this problem. Tools to understand the molecules, synapses, neurons and networks at work here.”

Neurons look like trees, with roots

Looking deeper into the brain at the cellular level, is Dr. Prakash Kara, a professor of neuroscience and a member of the Medical Discovery Team.

As powerful as that MRI is – and, at 10.5 Tesla, it’s the world’s strongest used on humans – it doesn’t go deep enough. It can see some of the brain’s circuitry, but not individual neurons.

To shine a light and generate high resolution images at that level, Dr. Kara and colleagues have developed a complex array of lasers and optics.

He says: “The biggest thing that we’re trying to address is can we use this technology to predict neuronal activity?”

Using math to solve problems relevant to the human condition

Dr. Audrey Sederberg, an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and another member of the team, looks deeper still.

Analyzing data from various sources, including MRI and optical imaging, she hopes to discover the math equations that govern the brain’s complex traffic patterns.

She says: “Aha moments can be quite subtle. But when you see something that’s in line with your models and expectations, that’s pretty exciting.”

Magnetic Minnesota

And then there’s the Medical School itself.

It’s one thing to attract the best and brightest talent. It’s quite another to keep them.

The fact that U teams not only lead in brain research, but in so many other areas, is a testament to a culture of collaboration like no other.

Says Dr. Alik Widge, a clinical psychiatrist at the U: “For somebody who wants to tackle hard problems, this is like being a kid in a candy store.”

Adds Dr. Tolar: “People sometimes think science is a linear sequence. It’s not. You set the stage, you pick up the best people and you don’t give up” – until you see that perfect spiral.