The University of Arizona Department of Medical Imaging has been awarded $3.6 million to develop a new CT-based method to detect and diagnose breast cancer.
A grant from the U.S. National Cancer Institute bestows the funds on the university over five years to advance the efforts of Andrew Karellas, PhD; Srinivasan Vedantham, PhD; and the department's Biomedical Imaging Innovation and Clinical Translation in Next-Gen CT (BIG-CT) team to develop a new breast-specific CT exam that will provide 3D images of breast tissue.
The research will aim to reduce patient discomfort with breast cancer screening and also provide an accurate assessment of breast density, according to the university.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
