Research of the Cai Group is focused on three areas: 1) development of multimodality molecular imaging agents; 2) molecular therapy of cancer; and 3) nanotechnology and its biomedical applications. Although our major disease focus is on cancer, the key feature of molecular imaging/therapy is that it is molecular specific instead of disease specific. The same molecularly-targeted agents can be applied in various diseases as long as the particular target is present or over-expressed. In addition, we are collaborating with a number of research groups both within UW and at other universities, where imaging can serve as an invaluable tool to answer the specific research questions posed.