The Small Animal Cancer Imaging Research Facility (SACIRF) provides cancer investigators with the latesttechnology and techniques for experimental in vivo imaging of small animals. The facility includes state-ofthe-art instrumentation, including the modalities of magnetic resonance (MR, Bruker4.7 T, 40 cm Biospec),x-ray computed tomography (micro-CT from Enhanced Vision Systems and volume CT being developed incollaboration with General Electric), projection radiography (Faxitron), and nuclear imaging (M.Cam gammacamera from Siemens and micro-PET from Concorde Microsystems). Optical imaging will be added duringthe first year of the award (instrumentation to be developed in collaboration with Biomedical Engineering atThe University of Texas-Austin). This instrumentation represents a >$3M investment by MDACC. TheSACIRF has allocated space for the instruments in the animal support facilities to facilitate the inclusion ofthe imaging studies in ongoing cancer research, and dedicated office and developmental laboratory space tosupport the facility operation. The faculty and staff are well-qualified in each of the modality areas, includingcurrent image acquisition and image analysis techniques. Specialty areas include quantitative tissuecharacterization (MR), imaging of microvascular physiology (MR, nuclear, CT and optical), diffusion imagingfor estimating cellular density (MR), metabolic imaging (nuclear, positron emission tomography [PET], opticaland MR spectroscopy), and vascular imaging (MR, CT, and x-ray). The services of the facility includeimaging protocol design, custom positioning systems, custom data acquisition hardware and software, imageanalysis, data archiving, provision of hardcopy and digital data delivery, and database maintenance. TheVeterinary Core includes a dedicated support team that provides highly efficient imaging studies and a verylow mortality rate of animals during the imaging procedures. Services provided from the Veterinary Coreinclude development of veterinary support protocols specific to each experimental design, and consultationon the inclusion of imaging procedures into existing protocols to obtain Institutional Animal Care and UseCommittee approval. To date, 75 investigators representing 13 programs have used facility instrumentation.42% of the users are peer-review-funded investigators. Utilization continues to increase as the facility and itscapabilities become better known to the local cancer research community. The capabilities of the facilitycontinue to grow to meet experimental demands. Publications are evolving at a rapid pace, and althoughonly a few are published, the acceptance rate has been nearly 100%. Funding for the SACIRF is currentlyCCSG (43%), user fees (36%), and MDACC (21%).
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