The ability to non-invasively image live animals has been transformative to many research programs, enabling investigators to acquire statistically better data with less animals. Because light can penetrate a whole mouse, or almost a whole mouse, specific and sensitive optical probes can be adopted to the in vivo setting. Not only can CT be used to provide the tissue context for those signals, but high-resolution in vivo instruments now provide resolution to a few microns, which is sufficient for resolving cellular-scale features within a whole, live mouse. These capabilities do not exist to any reasonable extent on Cornell?s Ithaca campus. This proposal describes a request for funding for in vivo optical and micro-CT imaging instruments (IVIS Spectrum and SkyScan 1276) that can be used separately or multiplexed. They will be managed within Cornell?s Biotechnology Resource Center (BRC) Imaging Facility in conjunction with an already existing VisualSonics Vevo-2100 high-resolution ultrasound to form a Vivo Imaging Suite (VIS), for researchers to non-invasively monitor their subjects with a variety of modalities. Data management, scheduling and billing will be accomplished using already established BRC infrastructure. These instruments are expected to seed new collaborative efforts between Engineering and Veterinary schools on campus, and will specifically advance NIH-funded research programs focused on cancer, implant viability, wound healing, heart development, immune signaling, osteoarthritis and Alzheimer?s disease.
This proposal describes a request for optical and computed tomography imaging platforms for monitoring primarily mice, but other small animals as well. These instruments will enable researchers to non-invasively assess developmental and disease processes, with better statistical integrity while using less mice.
