An IVIS(R) Spectrum Imaging system (Caliper Life Sciences, Inc.) is requested and will be set up as a shared instrument core facility at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). Imaging technologies that allow for unmixed data acquisition at different spectral bands are increasingly useful in biomedical research The requested IVIS Spectrum has unique capabilities for sensitively imaging both bioluminescent and fluorescent reporters within the same animal without mixing the multiple spectra. The system performs both epi- and trans-illumination fluorescent imaging and uses high efficiency narrow band- pass filters coupled with spectral unmixing algorithms to differentiate between multiple shallow and deep fluorescent sources. This is useful in optimally enabling a wide array of fluorescence/bioluminescence research applications. The system is also capable of performing 3D tomographic reconstructions for BOTH bioluminescence and fluorescence, and enables data co-registration with complementary modalities such as CT and MRI. The shared instrument will compliment and boost the extensive imaging resources available to URSMD researchers and will enable new research directions that will ultimately enhance the prospects of making breakthrough medical discoveries and attracting substantial research grants funding. This transformative technology will also allow URSMD researchers to perform intra-subject, longitudinal, in vivo imaging and data acquisition with significantly smaller sample sizes, which will significantly reduce the cost of research and improve statistical power of the studies utilizing this instrument. The User's pool identified in this grant application draws a dozen NIH-funded investigators from 11 different URSMD departments pursuing wide ranging areas of biomedical research with emphasis on clinical translational areas that are well-aligned with the mission of the URSMD's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). These projects include studying various disease models and development of therapeutics, dissecting cellular and molecular signaling mechanisms in vivo and in real time, and tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, to name a few. The URSMD has made an unequivocal commitment to the provision of space and resources towards the establishment of the proposed Molecular Multispectral Imaging facility, which will help generate short-term and long-term employment opportunities that are consistent with the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVACNE: Funding for an IVIS(r) Spectrum Multimodal (multispectral bioluminescence and fluorescence) Imaging instrument is requested. The shared instrument will compliment and boost the extensive imaging resources available to URSMD researchers engaged in wide ranging areas of biomedical research with emphasis on clinical translation in alignment with the mission of the URSMD's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI).
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