Christopher H. Contag
James and Katherine Cornelius Chair; John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics; Director, Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
Expert in biomedical engineering and molecular imaging
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Biography
Christopher Contag, the inaugural James and Kathleen Cornelius Endowed Chair, was recruited to MSU to lead the brand-new Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering. A pioneer in molecular imaging, Contag also serves as the Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. His research at MSU will change the way the world thinks about biomedicine through developing new technologies and approaches for precision health and medicine to change how healthcare can be delivered to patients.
Prior to joining MSU, he held many roles at Stanford, including associate chief of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, director of Stanford’s Center for Innovation in In Vivo Imaging, and co-director of the Molecular Imaging Program. Contag also is a fellow and past president of the World Molecular Imaging Society. His research has been published in a number of journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PloS one and Journal of Biomedical Optics.
Contag graduated from the University of Minnesota with an undergraduate degree in biology and a PhD in microbiology.
Industry Expertise (8)
Biotechnology
Health and Wellness
Health Care - Facilities
Health Care - Providers
Health Care - Services
Research
Education/Learning
Writing and Editing
Areas of Expertise (6)
Photomedicine
Molecular Imaging
Neonatal and Developmental Medicine
Microbiology & Immunology
Radiology
Pediatrics
Accomplishments (2)
Distinguished Lecturer (professional)
2014-01-01
Awarded by UCI Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
James C. Overall Lecturer in Pediatrics (professional)
2013-01-01
Awarded by Vanderbilt University
Education (4)
Stanford University School of Medicine: Postdoctoral Fellow 1995
University of Minnesota, Department of Microbiology: Postdoctoral Fellow 1989
University of Minnesota, Department of Microbiology: Ph.D., Microbiology 1988
University of Minnesota, College of Biological Sciences: B.S., Biology 1982
Affiliations (2)
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering: Director
- Department of Biomedical Engineering: Chair
Links (1)
News (2)
Contag to Receive 2017 Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award
MSU Today online
2016-11-03
Christopher Contag, a pioneer of molecular imaging and chairperson of Michigan State University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, will receive the 2017 Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award from SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics...
Pioneer in Molecular Imaging to Lead New MSU Initiatives
MSU Today online
2016-09-28
Christopher H. Contag will join Michigan State University as the inaugural director of the Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering and the chairperson of the new Department of Biomedical Engineering...
Journal Articles (5)
Charge-altering releasable transporters (CARTs) for the delivery and release of mRNA in living animals
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
2017 Functional delivery of mRNA to tissues in the body is key to implementing fundamentally new and potentially transformative strategies for vaccination, protein replacement therapy, and genome editing, collectively affecting approaches for the prevention, detection, and treatment of disease. Broadly applicable tools for the efficient delivery of mRNA into cultured cells would advance many areas of research, and effective and safe in vivo mRNA delivery could fundamentally transform clinical practice. Here we report the step-economical synthesis and evaluation of a tunable and effective class of synthetic biodegradable materials: charge-altering releasable transporters (CARTs) for mRNA delivery into cells. CARTs are structurally unique and operate through an unprecedented mechanism, serving initially as oligo(α-amino ester) cations that complex, protect, and deliver mRNA and then change physical properties through a degradative, charge-neutralizing intramolecular rearrangement, leading to intracellular release of functional mRNA and highly efficient protein translation. With demonstrated utility in both cultured cells and animals, this mRNA delivery technology should be broadly applicable to numerous research and therapeutic applications.
A clinical wide-field fluorescence endoscopic device for molecular imaging demonstrating cathepsin protease activity in colon cancer
Molecular Imaging & Biology
2016 Purpose Early and effective detection of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract will require novel molecular probes and advances in instrumentation that can reveal functional changes in dysplastic and malignant tissues. Here, we describe adaptation of a wide-field clinical fiberscope to perform wide-field fluorescence imaging while preserving its white-light capability for the purpose of providing wide-field fluorescence imaging capability to point-of-care microscopes. Procedures We developed and used a fluorescent fiberscope to detect signals from a quenched probe, BMV109, that becomes fluorescent when cleaved by, and covalently bound to, active cathepsin proteases. Cathepsins are expressed in inflammation- and tumor-associated macrophages as well as directly from tumor cells and are a promising target for cancer imaging. The fiberscope has a 1-mm outer diameter enabling validation via endoscopic exams in mice, and therefore we evaluated topically applied BMV109 for the ability to detect colon polyps in an azoxymethane-induced colon tumor model in mice. Results This wide-field endoscopic imaging device revealed consistent and clear fluorescence signals from BMV109 that specifically localized to the polypoid regions as opposed to the normal adjacent colon tissue (p < 0.004) in the murine colon carcinoma model. Conclusions The sensitivity of detection of BMV109 with the fluorescence fiberscope suggested utility of these tools for early detection at hard-to-reach sites. The fiberscope was designed to be used in conjunction with miniature, endoscope-compatible fluorescence microscopes for dual wide-field and microscopic cancer detection.
Reactive oxygen species imaging in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease
Molecular Imaging & Biology
2016 Purpose: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important contributors to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, there are insufficient tools for their in vivo evaluation. Procedures: To determine if a chemiluminescent ROS reporter, coelenterazine, would be a useful tool for the detection of immune cell activation, the macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) was treated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Additionally, coelenterazine was used to monitor the changes in ROS production over time in a mouse model of IBD. Results: In vitro, coelenterazine enabled the dynamic monitoring of the RAW 264.7 cell oxidative burst. In vivo, there were early, preclinical, changes in the localization and magnitude of coelenterazine chemiluminescent foci. Conclusions: Coelenterazine offers a high-throughput method for assessing immune cell activation in culture and provides a means for the in vivo detection and localization of ROS during IBD disease progression.
Differential fates of biomolecules delivered to target cells via extracellular vesicles
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
2015 Extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated transfer of macromolecules may play a key role in cellular communication and may have utility in directed molecular therapies. In addition, the EV packaged biomolecules in serum may have potential for diagnosing cancer and determining its likelihood of metastasis. EVs are heterogeneous and there are many outstanding questions associated with biogenesis, uptake, and the fate of transferred molecules in recipient cells. In fact, the function, characterization, and even the nomenclature of EVs are being refined. Here we aimed to improve the functional characterization of EVs, and observed that only microvesicles (MVs), but not exosomes, can functionally transfer loaded reporter molecules to recipient cells, largely by delivering plasmid DNA. Our data show that exosomes and MVs are structurally and functionally distinct.
In vivo imaging today and tomorrow: How multimodality imaging is driving translational research
Science
2015 It has been two decades since researchers at Stanford University showed that the progression of disease can be tracked noninvasively in living animals using bioluminescence imaging. Since then, researchers have developed and utilized a variety of molecular imaging techniques employing bioluminescence, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and Cerenkov luminescence, combined with sophisticated imaging technologies, to increase our understanding of complex diseases and develop new therapeutic solutions. More recently, optical imaging has been combined with clinical imaging technologies, such as microcomputed tomography (microCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) to produce multimodal imaging techniques that allow molecular, functional, and anatomical data to be seamlessly merged. This technology provides a more precise and rigorous method for exploring disease models in greater depth. In this webinar, our speakers will discuss the significant impact that imaging technologies have had on biomedicine and translational research, and how bioimaging might play a role in new and emerging scientific areas.