The UWCCC Small Animal Imaging Facility provides innovative, state-of-the-art, affordable, noninvasive, high-resolution in-vivo and ex-vivo imaging support to UWCCC members who utilize small animal models in their research. The facility director and manager provide consultation with investigators about methodologies most suited to answer their biological questions. Investigators are able to select various levels of support ranging from image acquisition alone, to acquisition and reconstruction, to image interpretation and finally to media presentation. Because of their radiochemistry expertise, they also radiolabel small molecules or proteins for investigators prior to imaging. Anatomic MicroCT Scanning. A MicroCAT-2 from Siemens/CTI is equipped with a large field-of-view detector, thus allowing high resolution scanning (18 micron)'of rats up to 300 grams. The system is equipped with a rodent isoflurane gas anesthesia system and physiologic monitoring system which allows image gating, Functional MicroPET Scanning. Functional microPET imaging is also available. Because both scanners are from the same manufacturer, the scanning beds are completely interchangeable which allows scanning with both modalities without moving the animal, thus allowing fairly accurate fusion of the two data sets. We are scheduled to acquire the first commercial microCT/microPET hybrid scanner from Siemens/CTI in June of 2006. This world's first hybrid scanner coupled with our own proprietary cell-selective imaging and contrast agents affords our investigators unique tumor detection and evaluation technologies which can only be provided here.
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