Small Animal Imaging Core Facility

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Small Animal Imaging Core Facility The goal of the Small Animal Imaging (SAI) core is to provide advanced animal imaging services, including imaging acquisition and image analysis tools that will facilitate cancer research at UNC and beyond. The imaging ability provided by the core allowed sophisticated monitoring of animal models, especially for studies focusing on cancer etiology and molecular therapeutics. The SAI core currently houses 10 imaging devices, including two 3T Siemens MR scanners, a 9.4T Bruker small animal MR scanner, a GE Explore animal PET/CT scanner, a UNC-designed high resolution SPECT scanner, a high resolution microCT for specimens (SCANCO), a high frequency ultrasound system (VisualSonics), and three IVIS optical imaging systems with capability for both bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging. Three additional imaging devices will be added to the SAI core in 2010: a GE SPECT/CT, a Fluorescence Molecular Tomography system, and a novel carbon nanotube-based CT. The SAI core currently supports 54 research projects. The SAI core requests $115,958 in CCSG funds, representing 12% its operating costs; 63% of the core's use is allocated to Cancer Center members. The increase in funding is requested to support the additional personnel and service contracts for new imaging equipment. For the next funding cycle, the SAI core proposes two major goals: expanding imaging, education and training services and developing multimodality imaging technology and analysis.