JIVA-25 is a small footprint 25 mT preclinical oxygen imager based on the principles of electron paramagnetic resonance oxygen imaging. JIVA-25 can provide oxygen maps in tissues with 1 mm spatial resolution, 1 torr oxygen resolution, and 1-10 min temporal resolution. No other competing method can provide accurate noninvasive pO2 maps with such precision. In tumors, accurate real-time pO2 maps will lead to a better understanding of hypoxia linked to the success of cancer treatment and will eventually result in oxygen guided cancer therapies in clinics. The oxygen guided radiation therapy is expected to reduce the delivered high radiation dose-volume by lowering the dose to well-oxygenated tumor tissues that will reduce the radiation side effects. The absence of preclinical (animal) oxygen imaging data is the major impediment in the development of evidence base translation of complex oxygenation-based cancer therapies into clinics. Providing the research community with the JIVA-25 instrument is the first step in achieving these goals. This proposal is designed to improve the form factor, manufacturability, and user-friendliness of the instrument. Our goal is to achieve a professional instrument with the help of a professional design firm that will keep the main features of the instrument intact but help with improved design of various components, such as a resonator, magnet enclosure, instrument rack, and other accessories. This supplement is important in placing JIVA-25 in the competitive preclinical imaging market.
Oxygen is the single most important molecule for aerobic life forms. No reliable preclinical noninvasive method for three-dimensional molecular oxygen mapping is currently available to scientists for expanding radiation treatment and cancer biology research. O2M's preclinical oxygen imager is designed to fill this gap. The project will improve the instrument manufacturability and user-friendliness.
