Fourteen investigators with 14 RO1 projects, 2 UO1 and one PO1 projects from the University of Maryland, Baltimore are requesting funds for the acquisition of a small animal PET/CT to advance their research in the areas of oncology, neuroscience and pharmacology. Small animal PET/CT provides unique opportunities for the study of animal models of disease and is a key component towards our aim of translating research from the laboratory to clinical application. The non-invasive, three- dimensional nature of the combined modality allows whole-animal biodistribution studies to be performed over an extended period of time in the same animal. Furthermore, the quantitative nature of PET/CT allows for powerful disease progression studies. These advantages will be exploited by our current and future NIH-funded investigators who will gain access to this technology as a shared resource. The proposed scanner will be housed in a dedicated animal imaging facility which currently accommodates a 7 Tesla animal MRI scanner. Much of the logistical support for the new scanner is already in place in the animal imaging facility and the addition of PET/CT is expected to compliment the high resolution anatomical images obtained from MRI. The Inveon MultiModality system from Siemens Molecular Imaging division has been selected for this project. This system is chosen because of its versatility to operate as independent single units or as a combined unit. The PET aspect of this unit provides high spatial resolution, sensitivity and count rate performance and has transmission imaging capability. The CT aspect of this instrument will provide high resolution anatomical images at a large field of view and will allow for PET attenuation and scatter correction. Researchers will be able to draw upon the considerable experience within the Radiology department in the field of diagnostic imaging, in particular imaging study design and quantitative image analysis. Administrative oversight of the scanner will be handled by a committee which will oversee financial management, staffing, instrument maintenance, training of researchers and scanner availability. Recognizing the growing role of molecular imaging and translational research the institution has made substantial commitment to the acquisition of the PET/CT system. The proposed animal PET/CT scanner is a much-needed resource which will benefit current researchers and will also stimulate future collaborations between different groups within and beyond the University of Maryland Medical System. ? ? The proposed small-animal PET/CT scanner will aid researchers in understanding animal models of disease and the efficacy of potential treatments. In this way the animal scanner will help translate the findings of basic science research to applications in humans. ? ? ?
