Core Facility Small Animal Imaging

As a higher-resolution variant than the 3 Tesla MRI, the 9.4 Tesla MRI offers even greater detail, particularly useful for studying small animal models of cancer. Its superior sensitivity enables the detection of subtle morphological changes and early-stage tumors that might be missed by lower field strengths.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that assesses metabolic activity within tissues by detecting gamma rays emitted from radiotracers, often used to evaluate tumor metabolism and proliferation in vivo. This method is critical for monitoring response to therapies and understanding disease progression.

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT): Similar to PET, SPECT provides functional information about blood flow and metabolic activity but uses different radiopharmaceuticals with longer half life times to produce three-dimensional images. It plays an essential role in evaluating treatment effects on tumor viability and studying physiological processes related to cancer.

This non-invasive imaging modality uses high-frequency sound waves to create real-time images of internal body structures, including tumors in live animals. Ultrasound is particularly beneficial for guiding biopsies or interventions due to its safety profile and ability for immediate imaging feedback. Ultrasound, allows for the assessment of blood flow by measuring frequency shifts of sound waves reflecting off moving blood cells. This enables quantitative analysis of parameters like blood velocity and perfusion in tumors. Such measurements are crucial for studying tumor angiogenesis and evaluating treatment responses.

Optical imaging techniques, such as bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging, allow researchers to visualize tumors and biological processes at the cellular level using light-emitting reporter genes or fluorescent markers. This method is advantageous for tracking tumor growth, metastasis, and the effectiveness of treatments over time in live animal models.

Combining optical and ultrasoundimaging, photoacoustic imaging provides high-resolution images by detecting ultrasonic waves generated from absorbed light in tissues. This technique is especially useful in cancer research for visualizing tumor vasculature and assessing oxygen saturation, which can help in evaluating tumor microenvironments and their responses to therapies.