The aim of the In-Vivo Functional Onco-lmaging (IVFOI) Shared Resource (SR) is to enhance and support basic and clinical cancer researchers by providing them with the necessary expertise, imaging instrumentation, and image analysis techniques. The major achievements during this funding cycle are: 1) establishing several multi-modality imaging systems to support innovative imaging studies;and 2) providing high-quality image acquisition and data analysis services for translational clinical studies. In the next cycle we will continue to develop along these areas to support various scientific needs of the investigators at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (CFCCC) in performing in-vivo imaging studies. The current available systems include three MRI scanners (3T- human, 4T- human and animal, and 7Tanimal), and a combined MRI-DOT (diffuse optical tomography) system for both animal and human. The 4T MRI scanner provides an open architecture for development of new imaging methods, as well as for integration of the second modality such as DOT to form a combined system. A 2D Fluorescence &X-ray system currently being used by some Cancer Center Members will be managed by IVFOI. A prototype 3-D fluorescence &bioluminescence tomography system integrated with a micro CT has been built. These systems will support various needs of CFCCC Members in designing innovative imaging components into their studies, providing anatomical and functional information. The Shared Resource will also support translational clinical studies, with a precise protocol execution and a high standard quality control. The SR has been supporting the collection of more than 900 breast MRI studies with unified protocols, and as such a large database has been collected. In the next cycle we will continue to support such clinical studies, and also to support translational clinical research using the developed multi-modality imaging system, such as to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the combined MRI-DOT system for breast cancer. Overall, the IVFOI will provide CFCCC Members with ready access to state-of-the-art technologies, consultation for design of experiments and imaging protocols, and image acquisition and data analysis, as well as coordination among individual projects. Through the sharing of imaging and analysis protocol, we will be able to integrate various information obtained from different projects to facilitate future collaboration between CFCCC Members and to bring together basic scientists and clinical researchers to design and conduct clinical translational studies.
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