Ultra-low noise and high signal-to-noise ratio small animal pre-clinical imaging of ultra-faint fluorescence, bioluminescence and Cerenkov luminescence

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We request funding for a high performance (ultra-low noise and ultra-high sensitivity) scientific camera to perform optical imaging of small animals for pre-clinical research, along with a camera objective, a motorized filter wheel, and optical filters. These items will serve to upgrade a small animal optical imaging system we have available at our medical imaging center, the Centre d'imagerie moléculaire de Sherbrooke (CIMS). This upgrade is necessary to increase the performances of the system in terms of 1) the sensitivity required to detect the very low light levels encountered in small animal imaging and 2) the speed at which images can be acquired. This will contribute to the development and practical application of algorithms (so-called tomographic algorithms) for obtaining 3D images of the interior of animals via fluorescence and bioluminescence protocols. The increased sensitivity and speed of our system will enable us to carry out imaging experiments never achieved before and necessary to better understand fundamental mechanisms in breast and brain cancer (cancer cells migration, development of metastases) and to visualize inside living bodies dynamic processes related to disease development and treatment. This will also allow us to implement novel medical imaging techniques such as Cerenkov luminescence imaging and to pursue the development at CIMS of light emitting probes to target and allow visualizing specific diseases non-invasively inside living animals. With the requested equipment, our small animal imaging system will reach a sensitivity surpassing all commercially available systems. This will give CIMS a competitive advantage and open opportunities for developing new imaging protocols, enabling us to tackle new applications of small animal optical imaging.