The California National Primate Research Center translational in vivo imaging program, which is a component of the Computational Imaging Core, provides state-of-the-art in vivo imaging services and expertise to NIH- funded investigators nationally. This established program includes unique opportunities for investigators to incorporate noninvasive imaging in their research programs, and to study monkey models of human health and disease. The goal of this proposal is to upgrade and replace an optical imaging system that will no longer be supported or serviced by the manufacturer/supplier placing many NIH studies in progress and planned at risk. The replacement IVIS Spectrum Imaging System will be maintained within this established core service structure, which has been highly effective in meeting the in vivo imaging needs of NIH-supported investigators nationwide. This imaging system will be located within a dedicated imaging suite in a secure environment, and with the required conditions for occupational health and safety for research with nonhuman primates. The IVIS Spectrum Imaging System can be used in both reflectance and transmission modes and includes a highly sensitive back-thinned, back-illuminated CCD camera, a broad band excitation source with filters for fluorescence measurements, selectable filters for multispectral detection, and software to control data acquisition, for spectral unmixin, 3D signal localization and quantification, and image display and analysis. In addition to ongoing longitudinal studies in monkeys focused on gene transfer/gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, infectious diseases, and lifespan health, the system will serve as the platform for further development and application of these novel imaging techniques in monkeys, and span research domains. This replacement system will ensure ongoing and new research opportunities at the California National Primate Research Center can continue to meet the needs of NIH- funded investigators locally, regionally, and nationally that are focused on ways to better understand human health and disease.
The in vivo imaging program in the Computational Imaging Core at the California National Primate Research Center provides state-of-the-art imaging services and expertise to investigators nationally within an established and highly successful core structure. To meet the ongoing demand for these unique services a replacement IVIS Spectrum Imaging System is needed in order to continue to provide NIH-funded investigators the imaging capabilities necessary to support their research.
