The Earl R. Miller Radiologic Imaging Laboratory is a departmental research facility, located on the second floor of the Health Sciences West building, and has been the home of a small bore 2T research MRI unit since 1985. In its early years, the main function of this facility was the development of new MRI methods and applications. Notable events during this period were contributions to diffusion weighted MRI for neurologic imaging, with the discovery of reduced apparent diffusion coefficient early after onset of brain ischemia, the first images showing diffusional anisotropy in brain and spinal chord, and the implementation of diffusion weighting into echo planar MRI sequences. Current work in the laboratory is focused upon quantitative evaluation of tissue water diffusion, magnetization transfer, and MRI contrast media distribution in various disease models, including myocardial infarction, stroke, cancers, and multiple sclerosis, leading to characterizations such as regional perfusion, vascular permeability, cellular viability, and the regional delivery and success of therapeutic interventions. In these areas, the laboratory collaborates closely with numerous other research groups within the Department of Radiology and from other departments within UCSF.