Peer Imaging Clusters (PICS)

Peer Imaging Clusters (PICs)

Peer Imaging Clusters (PICs) are small, collaborative research cohorts designed to advance innovative imaging science through interdisciplinary partnerships. Each PIC brings together multiple research labs working collectively on cutting-edge scientific projects.

Supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the PICs receive funding to support research activities and lab supplies. Additionally, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund provides financial support for postdoctoral fellows embedded within each PIC, ensuring dedicated research personnel and strong project execution.

The PIC model fosters collaboration, accelerates scientific discovery, and promotes excellence in imaging research through shared expertise and resources.

Beyond Diffraction Limited Imaging: Predicting Cancer and Immune cell phenotype

This proposal aims to investigate the mechanism of pEV uptake and antitumor/antiinflammatory
effects in complex tissue microenvironments using a non-invasive, high-resolution lens-less
photon-based imaging technique that bypasses the diffraction limit. This technique can image live cells in 3D
without staining or labeling, making it applicable to various scientific areas.

PI: Edwin Fohtung- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) – fohtue@rpi.edu

Deji Adekanye – University of Delaware – deji@udel.edu

Joakin Mori – Boston University – jmori@bu.edu

Adebowale Bamidele – Mayo Clinic -Bamidele.adebowale@mayo.edu

Diabetic Wound Healing Interrogation with Quantum Light and Wavefront Shaping

Diabetic wounds are complex and can lead to serious complications, including limb amputation—especially in Black individuals, who face significantly higher risks. Our project introduces a novel, non-invasive optical method to assess and monitor wound healing in real time, aiming to better predict complications and reduce disparities in diabetic foot care.

PI: Moussa N’Gom – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) – ngomm@rpi.edu

Angela Dixon – Case Western Reserve University –angela.r.dixon@case.edu

Michael Williams – Independent – mjphysics3@gmail.com

Yvon Woappi – Columbia University – yw4024@columbia.edu

Metadevices for longitudinal imaging of mitochondrial trafficking in peripheral nerves

Our research explores how disrupted cellular balance contributes to peripheral neuropathy—a nerve condition linked to aging, cancer treatment, and increased fall risk. This condition disproportionately affects aging Black Americans, yet its cellular causes and racial disparities remain unclear. By studying mitochondrial function in peripheral nerves, we aim to uncover mechanisms behind neuropathy and inform the development of targeted therapies.

PI: Abdoulaye Ndao – University of California, San Diego (UCSD) – a1ndao@ucsd.edu

Crystal Rogers – University of California, Davis – crdrogers@ucdavis.edu

Feather Ives – Peralta Colleges – fives@peralta.edu

Samantha Lewis – University of California, Berkeley – samlewis@berkeley.edu

Timothy Oladunni – Morgan State University – timothy.oladunni@morgan.edu

A Community Partnership in Achieving Precision Medicine: Addressing the Biological Determinants of
Health Disparities in African Americans

This project combines precision medicine and community engagement to advance Alzheimer’s research and address health disparities. With a focus on African American populations—who are often underrepresented in biomedical research—we aim to uncover how lipid metabolism affects Alzheimer’s progression and develop targeted therapies. Our diverse, collaborative team is also building a community advisory board to ensure inclusive research from the ground up.

PI: Jamaine Davis – Belmont University – jamaine.davis@belmont.edu

Antentor Hinton – Vanderbilt University –Antentor.o.hinton.jr@vanderbilt.edu

Chrystal Starbird – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill –chrystal@email.unc.edu

Sharifa Love-Rutledge – University of Alabama in Huntsville – sharifa.love-rutledge@uah.edu

Steven Damo – Fisk University – sdamo@fisk.edu

List of publication Acknowledging the support from Pair-Up and the Moore Foundation

1. Title: “Manipulating Ferroelectric Topological Polar Structures with Twisted Light”,

N. P. Nazirkar, V. Tran, P. Bassène, A. Ndiaye, J. Barringer, R. Harder, Moussa N’Gom, & E. Fohtung, Adv. Mater., 2415231 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202415231

2. Title: “Real-Time Tracking of Nanoscale Morphology and Strain Evolution in Bi2WO6 via Operando Coherent X-Ray Imaging”

J. Anderson, N. P. Nazirkar, A. Ndiaye, J. Barringer, V. Tran, P. Bassène, R. Harder, M. N’Gom, & E. Fohtung, Adv. Mater., 2504445 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202504445

3.Title: “Adaptive Methods of Generating Complex Light Arrays”,

T. Wang, V. Tran, P. Bassène, E. Fohtung, & M. N’Gom, Journal of the Optical Society of America A, Vol. 41, No. 1 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAA.507656.

4. Title: “Second harmonic Bessel-Gauss beam shaping with elliptic axicon aberrations”,

T. Wang, F. Buldt, P. Bassène, S. Reza, T. A. Searles, C. Tai Law, E. Fohtung, and M. N’Gom, Phys. Rev. Res., 7, 013012 (2025);

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.013012

5. Title: “Classification of single photons in higher-order spatial modes via convolutional neural networks”,

M. P. Bart, S. Dawanse, N. J. Savino, V. Tran, T. Wang, S. Lohani, F. Nefissi, P. Bassène, M. N’Gom, & R. T. Glasser, Optics Letters, Vol. 50, No. 9, (2025); https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.551297

6. Title: “Optimizing Fluorescence Imaging Through Scattering Media Using Structured Light-Assisted Wavefront Shaping”,

N. Rumman, P. Bass` ene, T. Wang, A. Mavian, E. Fohtung, A. Dixon, T. A. Searles, & M. N’Gom, Cell Rep. iScience 28, No.113429, (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113429

7. Title: “Mitosis-like dynamic for conservation of OAM”,

V. Tran, T. Wang, P. Bassène, F. Buldt, T. A. Searles, E. Fohtung, C. T. Law, & Moussa N’Gom, Nat. Sci. Rep. vol. 15, No. 25780 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11091-x

8. Title: Enhancement of Second Harmonic Generation in Monolayer WS2 by Feedback-Based Wavefront Shaping”,

R. Berger, A. Mavian, E. Dimitrov, N. Zhang, N. Rumman, P. Bassène, H. Terrones, E. A. Wertz, M. Terrones, E. Fohtung, & M. N’Gom, Optica Phot. Res., Vol. 13 No. 11 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1364/PRJ.563115

9. Title: “Synergistic integration of metasurfaces and quantum photonics: Pathways to next-generation technologies”,

A. Ndao, E. B. Fohtung, M. N’Gom, T. A. Searles, K. Toussaint, & Y. K. Chembo, Appl. Phys. Rev. 12, 041318 (2025).

doi: 10.1063/5.0226259

10. Title: “Exploring non-equilibrium ferroelectric phases via twisted light–matter interaction”,

NP Nazirkar, J Shi, M N'Gom, E Fohtung

Proceedings Volume 13586, Spintronics XVIII; 135860P, 131-138 (2025) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3067976

11. Title: “Operando Imaging of Strain and Defects at the Nanoscale”,

J Barringer, M N'gom, E Fohtung

Proceedings Volume 13586, Spintronics XVIII; 135860P, 131-138 (2025) IEEE NANO61778.(2024).10628841.

DOI: 10.1109/NANO61778.2024.10628841

PAIR-UP Acknowledgment

A. Ndao, E. B. Fohtung, M. N'Gom, T. A. Searles, K. Toussaint and Y. K. Chembo, “ Synergistic integration of metasurfaces and quantum photonics: Pathways to next-generation technologies ”, Appl. Phys. Rev. 12, 041318 (2025). doi: 10.1063/5.0226259
J.-H. Park, J. Ha, L. Hsu, G. Yang, Y. Fainman, A. V. Sergienko, and A. Ndao "Observation of robust subwavelength phase singularity in chiral medium", Advanced Photonics, vol. 7, no. 3, 035001 (2025). doi: 10.1117/1.AP.7.3.035001
S. Hemayat, M. Baharlou, S. Sina, A. V. Sergienko, and A. Ndao "Integrating deep convolutional surrogate solvers and particle swarm optimization for efficient inverse design of plasmonic patch nanoantennas", Nanophotonics, vol. 13, no. 21, pp. 3963–3983 (2024). doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2024-0195
M. W. Khalid, A. Akbar, J. Ha, M.S.E Hadri, A.V. Sergienko, E.E. Fullerton, and A. Ndao “Role of photonic angular momentum in all-optical magnetic switching”, Phys. Rev. B109, L140403 (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.109.L140403
S. Moayed Baharlou, S. Hemayat, K.C. Toussaint and A. Ndao, “GPU-Accelerated and Memory-Independent Layout Generation for Arbitrarily Large-Scale Metadevices”, Advanced Theory and Simulations, 2300378, (2024). DOI: 10.1002/adts.202300378
M.W. Khalid, J. Ha, M.S.E. Hadri, L. Hsu, S. Hemayat, Y. Xiao, A. Sergienko, E.E. Fullerton and A. Ndao, “Meta-Magnetic All-Optical Helicity Dependent Switching of Ferromagnetic Thin Films”, Advanced Optical Materials, 2301599, (2024). DOI: 10.1002/adom.202301599