In Vivo Imaging of Heart Disease and Host-Pathogen Processes

描述（由申请人提供）：Caliper Spectrum IVIS（体内成像系统）将用于使用荧光或生物发光细胞，蛋白质或探针来了解活小鼠的关键细胞过程。研究人员专注于心脏病或宿主对感染的反应，并开发了一系列转基因动物或构建物，使他们能够利用成像系统检测细胞过程。该仪器对整个小鼠（麻醉下）成像，可以检测完整动物体内的荧光或生物发光信号，分辨率约为1毫米。这将使研究人员能够检测心脏内生物发光干细胞的巢，测量梗死面积，或监测细菌或病毒感染随时间的进展。该仪器避免了在个别时间点牺牲动物的需要，并将扩大可用于实验设计的模式。6名nih资助的研究人员（代表8名R01奖和3名P01奖的研究人员）将从该仪器中受益，预计未来会有更多的教职员工使用该仪器。IVIS光谱将提供一种重要的成像方式，将扩展研究人员的研究能力。鉴于该小组在荧光显微镜和开发用于监测生物过程的转基因小鼠模型方面的专门知识，预计IVIS将迅速纳入现有的研究项目。这将有助于实现NIH减少用于研究的动物数量的重要目标，而动物成本的减少将延长研究资金并提高生产力。IVIS的可用性将促进新的合作，并将允许研究人员考虑提出新的问题，或采取新的实验方法。这种最先进的仪器的可用性将有助于SDSU招募新的生物医学研究导向的教师，并保留其最好的研究人员。该仪器对于希望将他们的发现应用于患者的研究人员来说将是极其重要的，因为通过IVIS增强的动物研究将引领最佳临床试验设计的道路。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Caliper Spectrum IVIS (in ivo imaging system) will be used to understand critical cellular processes in live mice using fluorescent or bioluminescent cells, proteins, or probes. Investigators are focused on heart disease or host response to infection, and have developed a range of transgenic animals or constructs that will enable them to utilize the imaging system for detection of cellular processes. This instrument images whole mice (under anesthesia) and can detect fluorescent or bioluminescent signals within the intact animal with a resolution of approximately 1 mm. This will allow investigators to detect nests of bioluminescent stem cells within the heart, to measure infarct size, or to monitor the progression of bacterial or viral infections over time. This instrument obviates the need to sacrifice animals at individual time points and will expand the modalities available for experimental design. Six NIH-funded investigators (representing 8 R01 awards and 3 investigators on a P01 award) will benefit from the instrument, and it is anticipated that additional faculty members will use the instrument in the future. The IVIS Spectrum will provide an important imaging modality that will extend the research capabilities of the investigators. Given the expertise of the group in fluorescence microscopy and in the development of transgenic mouse models for monitoring biological processes, it is expected that the IVIS will be rapidly incorporated into existing research projects. It will help to fulfill the important NIH goal of reducing the number of animals used in research, and this reduction in animal costs will extend the research dollars and increase productivity. The availability of the IVIS will facilitate new collaborations and will allow investigators to think about asking new questions, or taking novel experimental approaches. The availability of this state-of-the-art instrument will help SDSU recruit new biomedical research- oriented faculty as well as to retain its best investigators. This instrument will be extremely important to investigators wishing to apply their findings to patients, as the animal studies enhanced by the IVIS will lead the way to optimal clinical trial design. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The ability to conduct real-time, sequential in vivo imaging of small animals is an important extension of animal models developed to study human diseases, and a prerequisite to translation of basic science discoveries to clinical applications. This proposal is to request an in vivo imaging system (Caliper Spectrum) to study mice using fluorescent or bioluminescent reporters. The investigators contributing to this proposal will use the IVIS to study heart disease, inflammation, and infections.