Acquisition of a Small Animal CT Scanner

描述(由申请人提供)： 小动物成像已经成为药物开发和了解疾病的有力工具。随着动物模型在基础和临床前科学中的广泛应用，找到更准确和高效地进行动物实验的方法现在是研究成功和及时性的关键因素。分子生物学和基因组学的最新进展产生了对转基因实验动物的巨大需求。在肿瘤学中，使用放射性药物进行癌症的非侵入性诊断早已确立。现在，小动物PET成像通过代谢、转运和受体介导的过程将显像剂输送到荷瘤小动物的肿瘤诊断中，从而被广泛用于肿瘤靶向。高分辨率microCT图像的使用将通过提供对正常器官或肿瘤体积的准确识别和定位来增强目前使用我们的microPET获得的功能成像的性能。这些结合的技术将允许在纵向研究中研究疾病进展情况，并随着时间的推移对治疗做出反应。其他应用，包括肺、心脏病、免疫学和整形外科手术，都将受益于更高分辨率的解剖信息。这些图像还将用于通过提供准确的衰减校正来提高功能图像的质量。华盛顿大学医学院的这项提案是为了申请资金购买一台40微米空间分辨率的小动物X射线CT相机。该仪器将向华盛顿大学多个学科的研究人员提供。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Small animal imaging has become a powerful tool for drug development and for the understanding of diseases. With animal models widely used in basic and pre-clinical sciences, finding ways to conduct animal experiments more accurately and efficiently is now a key factor in the success and timeliness of research. The recent evolution in molecular biology and genomics has created a large demand for transgenic laboratory animals. In oncology, the use of radiopharmaceuticals for the non-invasive diagnosis of cancer has long been established. And now, small animal PET imaging is being used extensively for tumor targeting by the use of metabolic, transport and receptor-mediated processes to deliver the imaging agent for cancer diagnostic in tumor bearing small animal. The use of high resolution microCT images will augment the performance of functional imaging currently obtained with our microPET by providing accurate identification and localization of normal organ or tumor volume. The combined technologies will allow for the study of disease progression in longitudinal studies and response to therapy over time. Other applications, including pulmonary, cardiology, immunology and orthopedic surgery will all benefit from higher resolution anatomical information. These images will also be used to improve the quality of functional images by providing an accurate attenuation correction. This proposal from Washington University, School of Medicine, is to request funds for the purchase of a 40 micron spatial resolution small animal X-ray CT camera. This instrument will be made available to researchers of many disciplines at Washington University.