His work is based on imaging structures at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ levels of analysis. The goal is to develop biomedical technology for unmet clinical needs and to transition that technology into commercial products that will improve healthcare and save lives.

Laine was the first to use multiscale “wavelet” representation to enhance subtle details in mammograms. Today, the algorithm he developed in 1992 is used in almost all commercial digital mammography systems. Currently, Laine is applying multiresolution wavelet techniques to classify pulmonary emphysema. He is also collaborating on a project in medical informatics to enable clinicians to better diagnose a patient using both text and annotated findings from medical images. Laine’s work draws on such techniques as time-frequency decompositions, speckle tracking, texture analysis, variational segmentation, parametric deformable models, and image reconstructions.