ShEEP Request for High Resolution Desktop MicroCT System

请求的设备：此请求是布鲁克Skyscan 1272 CMOS版高分辨率桌面

Requested Equipment: This request is for a Bruker Skyscan 1272 CMOS Edition high-resolution desktop microcomputed tomography (microCT) system, a 16-sample automatic tube changer with custom 3D printed sample tubes, a calcium-hydroxy apatite bone mineral density (BMD) phantom set, and a computer workstation with Bruker software necessary to operate the system and visualize / analyze 3D datasets. Equipment Justification: The North Florida / South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SGVHS) is the largest VA healthcare system in the US and has a robust research program with diverse imaging needs. To address this, NF/SGVHS established the Preclinical Musculoskeletal Imaging Core (PMIC) Lab, a centralized preclinical imaging core facility. For more than a decade, the PMIC Lab has provided access to and training on microCT systems, along with fee basis imaging, to scientists at NF/SGVHS and at other VA and academic centers. The Skyscan 1172 (old model) microCT is the most utilized PMIC Lab Core Equipment. However, this system is >10-years old and at its expected end-of-life. To facilitate our ongoing imaging needs, we request a Skyscan 1272 (new model) high-resolution microCT. The Skyscan 1272 is the highest resolution microCT on the market and images fine details as small as 0.45 µm (submicron resolution), using phase-contrast enhancement, which will improve our ability to image small anatomical structures (e.g., microvasculature, bone lacunae, and nerve fascicles). The 16-sample tube changer is an accessory that is exclusive to the Skyscan 1272, which automatically changes sample tubes upon completion of a scan and initiates each new scan via user programmed software. In doing so, the tube changer increases device availability by allowing continuous 24-hr/day microCT scanning without direct user supervision. This will permit us to grow our user base by simultaneously increasing device availability and by reducing microCT costs, due to less technician time. In doing so, we will be able to recruit Users who may not be able to typically afford high-resolution imaging (e.g., those collecting preliminary data for proposals), which will increase our likelihood of success on future VA and non-VA grants that are increasingly dependent upon the use of high-resolution imaging. Projected Use: We have 4 Major VA Users, 5 Minor VA Users, and 8 Academic Users (17 total users) who have ongoing or expected microCT needs. Major Users have VA Merit, Career Development, Cooperative Study, and/or Small Projects in Rehabilitation Research awards. Minor Users have funding via the same VA mechanisms and/or from NIH, DOD, or private foundations. Academic Users have tertiary microCT priority, which is facilitated via fee basis imaging, assuming the research does not interfere with Major / Minor Users and is relevant to Veterans’ health. We anticipate 40+ hours/week of microCT use throughout the lifespan of this equipment, based on past microCT use and future projections. VA Users will exceed 75% of machine time, with Major VA Users constituting >50% of use time. Projects Supported and Benefit to Veterans: The PMIC Lab has established numerous microCT protocols to assess the 3D microstructure of bone, vasculature, and other soft tissues. The Users on this proposal assess changes in these tissues in small animal models of spinal cord injury, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, obesity, cancer, and other conditions that impact Veterans’ health. The requested Skyscan 1272 microCT system will allow the PMIC Lab to support the imaging needs of these investigators, which will ultimately benefit the health of Veterans, and will permit us to expand our microCT expertise to include the assessment of bone lacunae, microvasculature, and nerve fascicles that are best visualized at submicron resolutions.