This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Shared Instrumentation Grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the grant, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. This Shared Instrumentation Grant application requests support to purchase a Xenogen biphotonic workstation for the imaging of whole, small animals. The instrument will be integrated into the existing Englert Image Analysis Facility, which is a shared resource of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth Medical School. The workstation will provide new technologies to the community of NIH-funded scientists at Dartmouth College, the Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. As part of a comprehensive effort to expand whole animal imaging at Dartmouth, we propose the purchase of a Xenogen IVIS' Imaging System. This workstation will permit optical (fluorescence/bioluminescence) imaging of cells and biologicals in small animals and allow to image, in real time, the migration of cancer cells, the biodistribution of therapeutics, pharmacokinetic studies and studies of gene expression in situ. This new technology will allow Dartmouth, NIH-funded scientists to address specific questions that are heretofore unapproachable given existing, available technologies. In addition, because animals can be serially assessed for tumor growth or gene expression, this new technology will greatly reduce the number of animals needed for use in experimentation. The Englert Image Analysis Facility is an established shared resource supported by a number of institutional sources and is directed by a Director, co-director and an Advisory Board. There is extensive scientific and technical expertise at the faculty level for effective development of optical imaging technology. Faculty from the Thayer School of Engineering, who are experts in whole animal imaging and analysis will be an integral part of the development of this technology at Dartmouth. Long-term support and maintenance of the Xenogen workstation will be met by support from the NCI Core Grant to the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, together with users fees as well as institutional support from Dartmouth Medical School. Furthermore, Dartmouth Medical School has committed $50,000 towards the purchase of this instrument. The integration of this instrument will meet an important, needed component in the overall mission to build whole animal imaging technology at Dartmouth. We have identified 12 major and 2 minor users whose research capabilities will be markedly expanded given the availability of the Xenogen workstation. The role of this new technology to meet the needs of the NIH-sponsored specific aims for each of these research programs is presented.
