UAB U-SPECT6CTUHROI Imager

本申请的广泛和长期目标是提供拟议的U- SPECT6CTUHROI仪器向UAB研究基础设施同步进行 广泛的生物学和临床前应用的功能和解剖成像。这个 SPECT6CTUHROI系统通过超高分辨率提供精确的3D解剖信息 (4个体素)与功能成像相结合的计算机断层扫描(CT) 同一动物体内的试剂(荧光、生物发光和/或放射性)在同一时间， 为生物应用提供了广泛的适用性。共同定位的功能和解剖 信息提供了对疾病发病机制和治疗反应的更好理解， 加快研究进展，UAB社区还没有可用的技术。 因此，扫描仪为我们的研究创造了动物研究能力的范式转变 社区。将促进纵向重复测量设计，提高重复性， 减少动物利用，并使更详细地了解组织水平 发病机制。这些设备将由一大批由NIH资助、建立和 跨多个疾病领域的协作调查人员，包括呼吸系统和 环境疾病、肾脏疾病和微生物应用。多重情态 工具将被整合到高生产率和多学科的研究基础设施中，以及 将提高对影响广泛患者的疾病的理解和治疗。 该仪器将由美国国立卫生研究院支持的小动物成像设施管理，并与 由多学科呼吸成像核心支持的格雷戈里·弗莱明·詹姆斯 囊性纤维化研究中心和UAB-UCSD O‘Brien急性肾损伤中心， 提供强大的用户基础、图像采集和分析方面的专业知识以及几个 在这些设施中安装了互补的成像技术。强大而可持续的 管理计划将确保以可持续的方式访问主要用户群和其他用户群 平台意在培育具有实质性影响的多学科研究。

The broad and long-term objectives of this application is to provide the proposed U- SPECT6CTUHROI instrumentation to the UAB research infrastructure to conduct simultaneous functional and anatomic imaging over a wide array of biological and preclinical applications. The SPECT6CTUHROI system allows for precise anatomic information in 3D by ultra-high resolution (4 voxel) computed tomography (CT) that is coupled with functional imaging with a large number of agents (fluorescent, bioluminescent, and/or radioactive) in the same animal at the same time, providing broad applicability to biological applications. Co-localized functional and anatomic information provides superior understanding of disease pathogenesis and therapeutic response, accelerating research progress, with techniques not yet available to the UAB community. Hence, the scanner creates a paradigm shift in animal research capabilities for our research community. Longitudinal repeated measure designs will be facilitated, improving reproducibility, reducing animal utilization, and empowering more detailed understanding of tissue-level pathogenesis. The equipment will be utilized by a large group of NIH-funded, established, and collaborative investigators spanning multiple disease areas, including respiratory and environmental diseases, kidney disease, and microbiological applications. The multi-modality tool will be integrated into a highly productive and multi-disciplinary research infrastructure, and will improve the understanding and treatment of disorders that affect a wide array of patients. The instrument will be managed by the NIH supported Small Animal Imaging Facility, and co- supported by the Multi-disciplinary Respiratory Imaging Core, the Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, and the UAB-UCSD O'Brien Center for Acute Kidney Injury, providing a strong base of users, expertise in image acquisition and analysis, and several complementary imaging techniques housed in these facilities. The strong and sustainable management plan will assure access to the primary user base and beyond in a sustainable platform intended to foster multi-disciplinary research of substantial impact.