Dr. Cormode's research focuses on the development of novel and multifunctional nanoparticle contrast agents for medical imaging applications. A current major area is the development of gold and bismuth nanoparticles as contrast agents for computed tomography (CT). The nanoparticles can be further modified to have a variety of additional functional properties, such as fluorescence, MRI contrast or therapeutic effects. Related areas of interest are novel computed tomography-based imaging methods, such as dual energy CT, spectral CT and iterative image reconstruction. These technologies are being applied for structural imaging and molecular imaging of the levels of specific cell types and proteins in vivo. These approaches provide enhanced characterization of cardiovascular diseases and cancers, which should allow improved selection of therapies and monitoring of response to treatments.