The capability of performing longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on small animals in vivo will significantly and positively impact a large number of VA-supported projects in basic, translational and preclinical biomedical/behavioral research relevant to Veteran's healthcare currently conducted at the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS). We are a group of over 20 currently funded investigators with VA Merit Awards who will directly benefit from acquisition of the Bruker BioSpec 3T MRI system. Our projects encompass a wide range of fields and research, including radiology, orthopaedics, rheumatology, bioengineering, endocrinology, neurology, psychiatry, pulmonology, cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, urology, and surgery. The acquisition of a small animal MRI imaging system will not only impact basic pre-clinical research at VASDHS, but is also expected to have a strong and positive effect through improvement of patient clinical care and supporting the VA healthcare mission.
Small animals are vital pre-clinical models in the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) research community and they enable the fundamental and translational investigation of mechanisms underlying an increasingly complex set of diseases and injuries that impact Veterans and their caregivers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is especially important modality since morphology and composition of nearly any organ can be evaluated, with examples including such diverse targets as the nervous system, lungs, heart, liver, pancreas, and musculoskeletal system. Acquisition of a small animal MRI imaging system will allow the VASDHS research community to refine our animal research studies by incorporating non-invasive and longitudinal imaging studies in rodents. This vital piece of equipment will increase our scientific productivity and also offer faster ?bench to bedside? translation by standardizing pre-clinical and clinical imaging techniques, ultimately improving Veteran care.
