CQCIT Preclinical Imaging
The CQCIT Preclinical Imaging program provides state-of-the-art quantitative imaging to support characterization of novel Huntsman Cancer Institute rodent models as well as testing of novel therapeutic agents in preclinical trials. This resource enables bi-directional translation between ongoing Huntsman Cancer Institute basic science research and clinical trials to deliver advanced precision medicine to cancer patients.
Resources
The CQCIT preclinical research facilities include a basic science lab, cold chemistry and radiochemistry labs, and a small animal imaging lab within the Huntsman Cancer Institute vivarium. These facilities are used for developing novel diagnostic imaging compounds and cancer therapeutics utilizing a wide range of cancer rodent models. The CQCIT is a North American Mediso Preclinical Imaging Center of Excellence and has the first installed NanoScan 3T PET/MRI in the United States.
These are the major instrumentation in these labs:
-
The nanoScan SPECT/CT system is a high-speed, high-resolution device for both focused and whole-body imaging of small animals. The integrated, ultra-fast, low-dose and variable FOV micro-CT provides automatically registered anatomical information for fusion and corrections. The preclinical SPECT/CT system supports quantitative dynamic imaging with full list mode acquisition format. Gated possibilities are offered for both modalities.
-
The nanoScan PET/MRI combines the anatomic imaging from a 1 Tesla MRI with cryogen-free Permanent magnetic with the functional and molecularing from a high resolution LYSO PET scanner. The 1T MRI scanner supports standard clinical imaging sequences such as T1. T2. DCE, and DWI imaging while the PET acquisition is performed in list mode with the ability to reconstruct static and dynamic images using iterative reconstruction.
-
This automatic, multidetector gamma counter is designed for detecting and measuring gamma radiation. With a ten-detector system for high throughput screening, the Cobra II has the tube capacity for 750 to 1000, depending on tube size. The Cobra II is utilized for counting large batches of ex vivo tissue samples using short-lived radioisotopes.
-
The Leica CM3600 XP is the cryo-macrotome for whole-body sectioning, primarily used to quantitively investigate the effect of labeled compounds, pharmaceuticals, and biologicals in pre-clinical studies. It can also be used for anatomical and morphological analysis of large objects, including cryoplaning for 3D reconstruction.
-
This phosphor imaging device offers extremely high resolution (25 μm) and image quality. The BAS-5000 is amenable to fine-structure studies of a wide variety of tissue samples. With a dynamic range up to five orders of magnitude and a pixel size as small as 25 μm, the system allows for very high-resolution quantitative autoradiography studies. The system can provide rapid scan times. A 20 x 25 cm imaging plate can be scanned at 50 μm in as little as five minutes. The system can image all PET isotopes as well as C-14 and tritium.
