The UCLA Imaging Resource for Mouse Cancer Models

描述（申请人提供）：UCLA拥有成熟的基于微正电子发射断层扫描、x射线微计算机断层扫描、体内生物发光和数字全身放射自显影成像的小动物成像项目。这个项目的核心是我们的小动物成像资源（SAIR），它通过最先进的设施为超过24位由NIH和其他机构资助的独立首席研究员提供服务和支持。这些研究人员的研究项目大多集中在癌症的诊断和治疗上。除了这个服务组件，SAIR在加州大学洛杉矶分校和美国环境中的作用是：(a)在成像工具、技术和应用方面教育加州大学洛杉矶分校内外的学生、博士后学者、医生和其他生物学研究人员，以及(b)促进合作并开发新的技术和方法，以提高非侵入性成像的定量能力。这些目标将有望导致对人类疾病的更好理解，并可能导致更好的诊断和治疗癌症的方法。作为SAIR提案的一部分，除了研究支持和教育外，还包括两个发展项目，这将提高所获得数据的质量和定量准确性，同时减少辐射暴露对研究对象的影响。第一个项目将寻求在手术之前、期间和之后对成像协议中的动物处理和护理部分进行标准化，以使动物的反应尽可能一致。第二个项目首先寻求估计，其次优化，第三是通过持续数月的多个成像实验序列跟踪动物受试者的辐射暴露。这两个项目不仅将极大地有利于通过UCLA SAIR进行的研究实验，而且将有利于美国所有的临床前研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): UCLA has a mature small animal imaging program based on micro-positron emission tomography, x-ray micro computed tomography, in-vivo bioluminescence and digital whole body autoradiography imaging. Central to this program, is our small animal imaging resource (SAIR), which provides service and support through a state of the art facility to more than 24 independent Principal Investigators funded through the NIH and other agencies. Most of the research projects of these investigators are focused in cancer diagnosis and therapy. In addition to this service component, the roles of the SAIR within the UCLA and the US environments are to: (a) educate students, post-doctoral scholars, physicians and other biology researchers from within and outside UCLA in the tools, technologies and applications of imaging, and (b) foster collaborations and develop new technologies and methodologies that will improve the quantitative capabilities of non-invasive imaging. These goals will hopefully lead to better understanding of human disease and might lead to better methods for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. As part of this SAIR proposal, besides the research support and education, two developmental projects are included, that should improve the quality and quantitative accuracy of the acquired data, while they reduce the impact from radiation exposure on the studied subjects. The first project will seek to standardize the animal handling and care part of the imaging protocol prior to, during and after the procedure, such that the animal's response is as uniform as possible. The second project seeks to estimate at first, secondly optimize and thirdly track the radiation exposure to the animal subjects throughout sequences of multiple imaging experiments that can last several months. Both these projects will greatly benefit not only the research experiments carried through the UCLA SAIR, but all preclinical research in the US.