Core Mission

The Mission of the Clinical Phenotyping Core is to bridge pre-clinical findings to clinical observations by providing image-based evaluations of soft tissue structures (e.g., tendons, ligaments and cartilage). Through its services, the core will support the CSR community in its efforts related to studying the disease mechanism, biomarkers, and treatments for a range of skeletal disorders. The core aims to share its expertise and resources by offering unique training opportunities through hands on training sessions and consulting.

Services

• 2D and 3D phenotyping of bony and soft tissue structures (e.g., bone shape, cartilage thickness) using clinically relevant measurement techniques to mimic clinical evaluations.
• Quantitative image analysis (e.g., T2 mapping) to assess tissue quality (e.g., cartilage and ligament) from imaging data.
• Deep phenotyping (e.g., 3D mapping) to study complex morphologies.
• Imaging biomarker identification to predict the risk of injury or treatment outcomes.
• Genotype-phenotype matching of pre-clinical models (e.g., genetically modified mouse models) to clinical cohorts (e.g., patients with certain musculoskeletal disorders) to help better interpret and validate the preclinical observations.
• Assistance with study design, outcome measures determination, imaging protocol development and analytical plans.
• Training on phenotyping and image processing of both preclinical and clinical imaging data.

Equipment and Resources 

• Image Processing and AI Workstations
• Image Processing Software Packages
• Small Animal 7T MRI System (Small Animal Imaging Lab)
• Access to a unique large dataset of clinical, imaging, and genetics and genomics data from patients (children and adults) with a range of musculoskeletal disorders

For customized project costs please contact Dr. Kiapour (ata.kiapour@childrens.harvard.edu)