Welcome to the OMIQ Lab
The OMIQ Lab is based at the Department of Radiology at UC Davis and brings together expertise in molecular imaging, quantitative modeling, and clinical translation. We are part of the EXPLORER team and we work closely with clinicians, physicists, engineers, and immunologists to tackle questions that require both technical rigor and biological insight.
We work on new modeling and correction approaches to improve PET quantification. Our primary focus is development of quantitative in vivo molecular imaging techniques for studying the immune response in humans—particularly T cell responses—using total-body PET imaging. Our work spans infectious disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration.
Why Quantitative Imaging Matters
Conventional PET imaging is often limited to static or semi-quantitative metrics that describe tracer uptake at a single time point. In contrast, dynamic imaging combined with kinetic modeling enables the separation of underlying biological processes—such as delivery, binding, metabolism, and clearance—into physiologically meaningful parameters.
This level of quantification becomes particularly critical when imaging the immune system. Immune responses are temporally dynamic and can simultaneously alter blood flow, vascular permeability, cellular trafficking, and metabolic activity across multiple organs. Without appropriate modeling, these overlapping effects can obscure the biological signal of interest. By leveraging the exceptional sensitivity of total-body dynamic PET together with advanced kinetic modeling approaches, we aim to disentangle these processes and generate biomarkers that more accurately reflect immune activation and function. Our ultimate goal is to move beyond visualization toward true quantification—enabling more precise biomarkers, deeper biological insight, and ultimately more personalized therapies.