New Research Projects

Welcome to the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging! The imaging resources of the Martinos Center are open to all qualified users, so whether you’ve arrived at this page because you are interested in collaborating with Martinos Center scientists on new or ongoing research, or you’d like to apply the Center’s technology, expertise, and resources to your own research program, this page will help you get started.

New research projects using the MR, MEG, EEG, Optical Imaging, PET or Computational core facilities and associated labs is initiated with a research proposal to the Center. New projects may already be funded or the goal of the project may be to collect pilot data for a grant application. All proposals are reviewed, and approved by the Core Management Committee (CMC) based on:

  • Scientific merit
  • Feasibility of the research on existing equipment
  • Availability of equipment

Approved proposals will be assigned resource time based on availability. Continued resource time will be based on progress of work and ability to secure funding.

Before you begin your research at the Center …

  • The PI and each member of the research team who will use our facilities must:
    • Complete new required trainings available in HealthStream (via live webinar and on demand)
      • MGBE HRA Clinical Research Boot Camp
      • MGBE HRA Good Clinical Practice (GCP) E6R2
        • Recertification required for both courses every 3 years
        • Completion of these two courses required when current CITI certification expires
        • Search HealthStream course catalog by entering HRA in search field
    • Obtain an MGH ID. All MGH Employee’s will already have one. Others will need to complete the MGH Non-Employee Process (see this page on the Martinos HR intranet).
    • Complete appropriate Imager Safety and Operations training course for the facilities you will be using. Contact Grae Arabasz for more information.
  • The PI needs to:
    • Provide IRB/IACUC documentation. Please note that any protocol you submit to use with your project (for scanner use) must have a PI with a Partners appointment. This does not need to be you. Any non-MGH researcher actually working on a study at the Center must be enrolled as a non-employee and assigned an MGH number and badge.
    • Submit a proposal and project account request (about Imager Project Accounts, Application Form)
    • For funded accounts, you must send the appropriate pdfs to Karen Dervin. If your grant is modular, you need to send a copy of the Human or Animal Subject page including the Targeted Enrollment Form. If your grant is non-modular, you need to send a copy of the Budget and Justification page.
    • Sign up for appropriate information email list (such as mri-scan for the MRI systems).
    • Obtain a Martinos Center computer login account. Karen Dervin will initiate a computer account request on behalf of the PI after your imager project is approved.
    • After the PI has a Martinos Center computer login account they can request accounts for study staff here.
    • Sign up for time on the research imagers and testing facilities. This can only be done once computer user account and project account requests are fully processed.

Related topics

Contact

To learn more about conducting research at the Martinos Center, contact:
Karen Dervin
phone: (617) 726-8908