• SIEMENS INVEON MICRO-PET/SPECT/CT
• VISEN FMT 2500™ (FLUORESCENCE MOLECULAR TOMOGRAPHY)
• BRUKER BIOSPEC 70/30 USR 7T MRI SCANNER
• XENOGEN IVIS 100 BIOLUMINESCENT IMAGER

Siemens Inveon Micro-PET/SPECT/CT

The Inveon Multimodality System is a versatile platform for laboratory animal CT, SPECT, and PET studies on a single integrated gantry. The two scanners in the system can operate independently or as a multimodality system under the control of a single workstation.

A common data acquisition system provides automatic transition between modes and seamless coordination of CT, SPECT, and PET data. The system is configured as an ultra-high resolution preclinical CT scanner; a high-resolution, high-sensitivity preclinical SPECT scanner; or as a dual modality preclinical SPECT/CT scanner.

The CT component of the device has a large area 165 mm X-ray camera. It incorporates a high-resolution, low-noise, 14-bit x-ray imaging detector with 4064 x 4064 pixels.

The Inveon 2-Head SPECT Module is a high resolution 3D functional imaging system for laboratory animal studies. Designed to efficiently detect gamma rays ranging in energy from 30 keV to 250 keV, the SPECT system is ideal for use with most single photon-emitting radionuclides. The two large area detectors (15 cm X 15 cm) support whole animal studies as well as high magnification studies.

The physiological monitoring system simultaneously monitors and generates TTL trigger signals from three standard input channels for respiration, temperature, and ECG. A high performance 64-bit workstation controls the Inveon multimodality scanner.

The system includes two Inveon Research Workplace workstations for multimodality image review, fusion, and analysis. The viewing station is designed to enable efficient research-producing repeatable and reliable analysis results. The workstation supports CT, PET, SPECT, and MR data in DICOM and Siemens Inveon CT, PET, and SPECT formats, as well as raw data import. The data browser makes it easy to import and manage data using industry-standard DICOM communication protocols. Data can be directly sent to and received from other DICOM-enabled devices including acquisition systems and storage solutions.

Direct import features make it simple to locate data stored on local and network-linked devices. The analysis workflows provide a wide range of easy-to-use tools. Analysis of static, gated, and dynamic data is supported with up to three different data sets being loaded simultaneously. These may be registered together using rigid and affine algorithms, as appropriate. A wide range of manual, predefined, and semi-automated region of interest creation techniques allow quantitative analysis of the data, including visualization of time activity curves and line profiles. Image data can be exported in DICOM format while graphs and image snapshots can be captured to the clipboard or as image files and numerical data can be exported as text files.

VISEN FMT 2500™ (Fluorescence Molecular Tomography)

The FMT 2500™ (Fluorescence Molecular Tomography) system is a quantitative fluorescence in vivo imaging system designed for preclinical imaging and data analysis. Unlike two-dimensional planar imaging systems, the FMT 2500 delivers quantification of disease progression and therapeutic efficacy while delivering real time 3D tomographic data. The system uses a raster scanning laser to transilluminate specimens and then collects vast arrays of absorption and fluorescence data from multiple source and detector projections.

The FMT 2500 system generates three-dimensional tomographic images and quantified data outputs. Through the laser raster scanning technology, the FMT 2500 acquires quantitative data for 2D-planar (photographic)and three dimensional imaging.

The system uses high power near-infrared laser diodes at 635, 670, 745, and 785 nm for four-channel excitation. This maximizes tissue penetration depth within the specimen while reducing autofluorescence; it also permits multiplexed analysis of biological pathways. Users can study multiple biological processes with quantitative analysis using this system.

The FMT 2500 in vivo imaging system collects positional information in a sensitive CCD detector by scanning the living organisms with powerful NIR lasers. The resulting dataset of up to 100,000 projections is reconstructed to generate 3D tomographic images and quantitative analysis. The FMT 2500 uses algorithms to reconstruct a fluorescent signal from deep within the organism providing accurate fluorescence quantification in defined regions of interest with sub-millimeter spatial resolution. The FMT 2500 performs an imaging scan of a living organism in two to four minutes. Three-dimensional data sets are also acquired and compiled at the same time enabling rapid image analysis and quantification (minutes per specimen).

The system allows a high-throughput workflow. Imaging cassettes allow quantitative multimodality imaging with the INVEON micro-PET/SPECT/CT and the Brukker 7T MRI. The system uses VisEn's broad range of biological process-specific fluorescent in vivo imaging agents and a VisEn FMT 2500 fluorescence imaging system.

For more information visit the Visen website.

Bruker BIOSPEC 70/30 USR 7T MRI Scanner

The BioSpec 70/30 MRI scanner is a multipurpose system for high-resolution MR spectroscopy and imaging.

• The scanner operates at 7 T, and has a warm bore diameter of 30 cm.
• The zero-helium-boil-off and nitrogen-free UltraShield Refrigerated (USR) system reduces cryogen maintenance to every 2 years.
• The scanner is equipped with the same high-quality digital electronics found in Bruker's analytical spectrometers (AVANCE), and a versatile, user-friendly front-end interface (Paravision), a wide repertoire of built-in, ready-to-use pulse sequences and pre-defined protocols, and a robust development environment for custom programming.

The BioSpec scanners are the most widely used laboratory animal scanner in the world, and the hardware and software interchangeability makes it possible and easy to exchange investigative protocols between studies among individual users.

The instrument is ideal for the following purposes:

• 2D and/or 3D high-resolution anatomical imaging
• Diffusion and diffusion tensor imaging
• Flow imaging
• Cardiac imaging
• Dynamic contrast imaging
• Functional MRI, chemical shift imaging and localized spectroscop

The BioSpec 70/30 system at the University of Utah Small Animal Imaging Facility has the following features:

• Two water-cooled, high-performance gradient sets (a 20 cm inner-diameter and a 12 cm inner-diameter set capable of 300 and 600 mT/m peak amplitude)
• Multi-nuclei RF electronics
• 4-channel receiver for multi-coil operation.

The operating console has recently been upgraded to Paravision 5.0, which features the following:

• Built-in parallel acquisition
• Push-button GRAPPA reconstruction
• EPI, navigator techniques for motion reduction
• Ultra-short TE acquisition
• Half-Fourier encoding
• Self-gated IntraGate
• Real-time display of acquired and reconstructed data
• Sophisticated data archiving including DICOM export
• Enhanced 2D and 3D data visualization

RF hardware includes the following features:

• ZStandard 1H quadruture volume transmit-receive coils
• Surface coils (multiple nuclei and sizes)
• Phased array coils

The facility has dedicated specimen preparation rooms, an in-house electronics lab for constructing and testing custom RF coils, and a second Paravision workstation and license for off-line development and data analysis.

For more information, view the Bruker website.

Xenogen IVIS 100 Bioluminescent Imager

The IVIS Imaging System 100 Series from Caliper Life Sciences is a sensitive and large field of view imaging system that offers users the flexibility to image fluorescent and/or bioluminescent reporters both in vivo and in vitro.

The system is based on Xenogen's patented optical imaging technologies to facilitate non-invasive longitudinal monitoring of disease progression, cell trafficking, and gene expression patterns in living animals.

The system offers the following features:

• An adjustable field of view of 10-25 cm, allowing five mice or two large rats to be imaged
• A 25 mm (1.0 inch) square back-thinned, back-illuminated CCD, which is cryogenically cooled to –90°C via a closed cycle refrigeration system to minimize electronic background and maximize sensitivity
• A patented and light-tight, low background imaging chamber which allows the IVIS 100 to be used in a standard lab lighting environment
• Specimen handling features such as a heated sample shelf, gas anesthesia connections, and an optional full gas anesthesia system.

The system is highly automated with all hardware motor movement, imaging parameters, and image analysis controlled via the Living Image® software.

Micro-CT	Micro-MRI
Micro PET