Next Generation microCT

描述（由申请人提供）：市售microCT（计算机断层扫描）系统未能满足小动物成像的挑战性需求，超出了良好空间分辨率的单一要求。具体来说，他们没有考虑到，与人类相比，小鼠的体积小一千倍，心率也快十倍，呼吸频率和循环时间增加。因此，目前可用的系统已被限制为：（1）体内体积CT，其主要用于解剖学图像和由正电子发射断层扫描（PET）或单光子发射计算机断层扫描（SPECT）提供的功能图像的配准;或（2）离体高空间分辨率CT，具有足够的对比度分辨率用于样本成像。然而，这些商业系统都未能解决微型CT的重要临床前应用，这需要改进的组织对比度、更低的剂量和更快的采集时间，以允许在小动物中采集动态图像并充分利用造影剂的使用。该项目的目标是开发下一代microCT，用于药物开发和医学研究的临床前成像。该系统旨在为小鼠和大鼠体内提供临床质量的CT图像，其性能规格经过优化，可满足当前医学研究最关键领域的苛刻要求。具体而言，该仪器将提供非常好的空间分辨率、超快的帧速度（< 1秒）和对受试者的低辐射剂量。这将利用光子计数模式进行X射线采集，而不是标准电流积分模式。该系统将能够提供总能量信息和能量分箱，因此将提供“Color-CT（tm）”能力，允许组织成分分析。为了实现这些进步，该系统将采用先进的CdTe固态探测器，与高速集成电路耦合进行信号处理，以实现主要CT制造商使用的传统技术目前无法实现的性能特征。在第二阶段，将开发一种快速动态多切片彩色CTTM扫描仪原型，在一种新的系统设计中采用多个探测器模块，其中包括一个非常快速的X射线源。这种新的模式，一旦在microCT市场建立，无疑将转化为人类CT扫描仪，并考虑到目前的临床CT研究量，该项目赋予医学成像领域的影响确实将是戏剧性的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Commercially available microCT (computed tomography) systems have failed to meet the challenging demands for small animal imaging, beyond the single requirement for good spatial resolution. Specifically, they have failed to take into account that the thousand times smaller volume in mice, compared to humans, is also coupled with ten times faster heart rates, and increased respiratory rates and circulation times. Thus, the currently available systems have been limited to either: (1) in-vivo volume CT, which is primarily useful for co-registration of anatomical and with functional images provided by positron emission tomography (PET) or single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT); or (2) ex-vivo high spatial resolution CT, with sufficient contrast resolution for specimen imaging. However, these commercial systems have all failed to address the significant pre-clinical applications for micro-CT, which require improved tissue contrast, lower dose, and faster acquisition times to allow for dynamic images acquired in small animals and to take full advantage of the use of contrast agents. The goal of this project is to develop a next generation microCT for pre-clinical imaging for drug development and medical research. The system will be designed to provide clinical quality CT images in vivo in mice and rats, with performance specifications optimized to accommodate the demanding requirements of the most critical areas of current medical research. Specifically, the instrument will provide very good spatial resolution, ultra fast frame speeds (< 1 second), and low radiation dose to the subject. This will be achieved utilizing a photon counting mode for x-ray acquisition, instead of the standard current integration mode. The system will be capable of gross energy information and energy binning, and thus will provide "Color-CT(tm)" capability, allowing tissue compositional analysis. To accomplish these advances, the system will feature advanced CdTe solid state detectors, coupled to high speed integrated circuits for signal processing, to achieve performance characteristics not currently possible from conventional technologies used by the major CT manufacturers. In Phase-II, a fast dynamic multi-slice Color-CTTM scanner prototype will be developed, employing multiple detector modules in a novel system design incorporating a very fast x-ray source. This new modality, once established in the microCT marketplace, will undoubtedly translate into human CT scanners, and given the current study volumes of clinical CT, the impact that this project imparts to the field of medical imaging will indeed be dramatic.