Our Mission

It is our long-term goal to be able to identify babies with impaired brain growth as soon as possible. We are on a mission to accelerate the translation and clinical application of novel imaging biomarkers to improve the monitoring of high-risk pregnancies and to develop windows of therapeutic opportunity aimed at repairing and restoring fetal health.

The Developing Brain Institute, directed by Catherine Limperopoulos, Ph.D., is housed in the department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology and affiliated with the Fetal and Transitional Medicine Program at Children’s National Hospital. Our research focuses on the developing brain, in utero, after birth, and through preschool. We are developing advanced MRI techniques to examine the structure, connectivity, and metabolism of the brain in ways that cannot be done with conventional MRI studies.