The objective of this application is to request funding for an automated Germanium gamma well counter. The principal advantage of the Germanium counter is that the energy resolution is 50 times better than traditional sodium iodide counters, that are presently employed at the Cardiovascular Center at Iowa. Our experimental protocols are limited by the low energy resolution of sodium iodide counters: we presently can only separate 6 different nuclide labelled microspheres. As a result of such a few numbers of measurements of regional perfusion with microspheres, experimental costa are high and experimental design is hampered. An automated Germanium gamma counter would enable us to measure regional perfusion up to 20 times (using 20 different nuclide labelled microspheres) in a single preparation. Our experimental costs would then be reduced and our experimental design would be strengthened.
