Moritz F. Kircher, MD, PhD

My clinical interests lie in the imaging of the abdomen and pelvis, with a focus on the evaluation of the liver, biliary tree, and pancreas. In particular, this involves the use of MRI and CT.

My laboratory focuses on the development of novel molecular imaging approaches, with the goal of facilitating earliest cancer detection and combined pre- and intraoperative tumor visualization. This involves the design of novel multimodality nanoparticle probes that can be detected by both MRI and “Surface Enhanced (Resonant) Raman Spectroscopy” (SE(R)RS). SERS imaging is an emerging technique that allows specific detection of a nanoparticle in the body because of its unique Raman signature, and with higher sensitivity than any other method. Multi-modality approaches allow both whole-body staging and ultrasensitive intraoperative detection of cancer (Kircher et al, Nature Medicine, 2012,18:829-34).

A second research interest is the development of novel methods for the non-invasive tracking of cell migration. Such techniques are important in designing and monitoring cell-based therapies and in elucidating fundamental mechanisms of cancer (Kircher et al, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, 2011,27;8:677-88).

My lab is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health; The Dana Foundation; the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA); the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center, theBrain Tumor Center, and the Nanotechnology Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering; and The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. I have received research awards from the RSNA, the World Molecular Imaging Society, the Dana Foundation, the American Heart Association, and Harvard Medical School. I am a member of the RSNA, the World Molecular Imaging Society, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the American Roentgen Ray Society, and the Association of University Radiologists.