The NIH Venture Program Announces First Awards for the NIOI Initiative

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund Venture Program has announced its first awards for the Advancing Non-Invasive Optical Imaging Approaches for Biological Systems (NIOI) initiative. This initiative aims to develop innovative non-invasive or minimally invasive light-based imaging techniques specifically designed to overcome technical barriers to imaging biological tissues particularly the longstanding limitation of imaging where light bounces off tiny particles or uneven surfaces and results in unclear images. Over the three years of the initiative, NIH will fund approximately $14.7 million in research across four awards, pending successful completion of milestones and availability of funds. The NIOI initiative is a collaborative effort between the Common Fund, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB).

Through the NIOI initiative, researchers will advance next-generation imaging technologies that allow deeper, clearer views inside the body without the need for invasive procedures. These innovations are expected to improve early disease detection, enable more precise health monitoring, and support the development of non-invasive and minimally invasive treatment strategies. The new Venture Program NIOI initiative investigators and their institutions are:

• Lihong Wang of California Institute of Technology aims to develop the next generation of photoacoustic tomography (PAT), a non-invasive imaging technology that uses light and sound to see deep inside the body with high resolution, focusing on improving breast cancer detection and other clinical applications. (1UG3DA065155)
• Zhongping Chen of the University of California, Irvine; Song Hu of Washington University; and Guifang Li of the University of Central Florida intend to design a fast, advanced imaging system that uses special light techniques to see deep inside living tissues in real-time with clear detail, helping scientists study how the body works and diseases develop. (1UG3DA065120)
• Tulio Valdez of Stanford University and Ellen Sletten of University of California, Los Angeles, plan to develop a real-time, high-resolution imaging system that enables deep tissue imaging and provides detailed molecular information based on how light interacts with tissue and next generation short-wave infrared imaging (SWIR) molecular probes, which are special dyes that glow when excited with light. (1UG3DA065140)
• Florian Willomitzer and Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski of the University of Arizona aim to create a new imaging method based on Synthetic Wavelength Imaging (SWI) to non-invasively see skin cancers more clearly and deeply than current techniques, with potential for future use in other deep-tissue imaging applications. (1UG3DA065139)

The Venture Program NIOI initiative is one of two Venture Program initiatives launching in 2025. The second initiative, Newborn Screening by Whole Genome Sequencing (NBSxWGS) Collaboratory, will test the feasibility of a multi-state newborn screening model using whole genome sequencing to identify a targeted set of genetic conditions early in life. The goal is to allow for timely interventions that can dramatically improve health outcomes.

Both initiatives have the potential for outsized impact on biomedical science and are responsive to the shared priorities of NIH Institutes, Centers, and the Office of the Director. In addition, these initiatives emphasize brief, modest investments that can be implemented swiftly in response to emerging opportunities, with a strong potential to accelerate science quickly.

Click here to read the full NIH announcement.