3rd Biennial Workshop on Small-Animal SPECT

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DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): Noninvasive, in vivo imaging of animals is an important tool in biomedical research. The Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging (CGRI) at the University of Arizona was established based on NIH funding to develop ultra-high resolution SPECT imaging systems, with sub-millimeter spatial resolution for small-animal applications. In January 2004, the center hosted, with the aid of NIH funding, a very successful workshop on small-animal SPECT imaging. We hosted the second Workshop on Small-Animal SPECT in Tucson, Arizona March 8 - 10, 2006. At this time, we are once again requesting support from NIH for the 3rd Biennial Workshop on Small-Animal SPECT to be held in Tucson, AZ on January 16th - 18th 2007. The overall goal of the meeting is to promote information exchange and collaboration between the research groups developing systems for small-animal applications. Furthermore, the workshop intends to stimulate the use of SPECT systems in the areas of oncology, cardiology, and gene therapy. We anticipate 75-100 attendees. This number was determined from the number of participants we had for the first 2 workshops and the enthusiasm the attendees expressed for a third workshop. The program will include short-course presentations by the faculty of CGRI and by select outside researchers and oral presentations given by the attendees. Topics include: biomedical significance of small-animal imaging, overview of detector technologies including scintillation cameras and semiconductor arrays, imager design and data acquisition systems, animal handling and anesthesia issues, objective assessment of image quality, and system modeling and reconstruction algorithms. The grant will assist with the logistic support of organizing the workshop and provide travel support for about seven graduate students and post-docs. The program income generated from the workshop will cover the costs associated with the meeting facilities and meals, as well as the remaining supplies expenses not covered in the NIH grant request.