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Small Animal Imaging Core Facility

Director: Mathew Thakur PhD Tel: (215) 503-7874 Email:  mathew.thakur@jefferson.edu
Location: 1018 BLSB 233 S. 10th Street Philadelphia, PA 19107	Contact: Chris Cardi, MS Tel: (215) 503-1750 Email: chris.cardi@jefferson.edu

The Small Animal Imaging Core Facility is a state of the art in vivo imaging lab dedicated for small animal research. Housing the Philips Mosaic Positron Emission Tomography (PET) system and the Imtek Inc. MicroCAT II Computed Tomography (CT) system; this lab provides accurate molecular and anatomical fused imaging. These imaging modalities offer unprecedented opportunities to study in vivo small animal models of disease; providing more accurate assessment of disease progression and response to therapy.

With support from the entire Department of Radiology, the lab will work with individual investigators to define experiments, imaging protocols, and quantification techniques to meet their individual needs. Please contact the facility for more information.

PET imaging provides in vivo functional images of molecular processes; offering the potential to detect disease at the cellular level before anatomical changes occur. To generate an image, a tracer amount of a radio-labeled probe is injected into the subject. The bio-chemical pathways of the body distribute the isotope. The distribution of the probe is acquired and reconstructed into 3D volumetric images.

 

Example PET Imaging Probes:

Compound	Purpose
F-18 FDG	Glucose metabolism
Cu-64 VIP	Oncogene expression
Cu-64 PNA	Oncogene expression
Cu-64 ATSM	Hypoxia

 

CT imaging provides high resolution in vivo anatomical images. To generate an image, an external x-ray source is rotated around the subject. The attenuation projections are acquired and reconstructed into 3D volumetric images of tissue densities. Various contrast agents can be employed to provide enhanced discrimination of structures with similar densities.

The CT images can be analyzed alone or can be fused with PET images to provide more precise localization and quantification.

 

Current Equipment:

Philips  MOSAIC PET Specifications: 14,456 GSO 2x2x10mm3 crystals 288 photomultiplier tubes 128mm transverse FOV 120mm axial FOV 2.0 mm resolution (approximate)

Imtek Inc.  MicroCAT II CT Specifications: 68x90mm2 CCD detector 50mm transverse FOV 90mm axial FOV 50um resolution (possible)

 

1/21/05

 

Examples:

These FDG PET images, in coronal view, show the progression of a flank tumor in the same mouse over a period of four weeks.       This FDG PET image,  in sagital view, shows uptake in the colon of corresponding polyps which were verified in resection.         This image is a 3D rendering of a bone segmented CT image fused with a PET FDG image showing a Glioma on the left shoulder. Courtesy of Philips

These FDG PET images, in coronal view, show on the left normal glucose metabolism in a healthy mouse and on the right abnormal spleen and abdomen lymph node uptake in a mouse with advanced leukemia.
This fused PET-CT image, in transverse view, shows cardiac FDG uptake from the PET slice in color overlaid on a CT slice in gray.
	This fused PET-CT image, in transverse view, shows flank tumor uptake of  Cu-64 labeled CyclinD specific PNA from the PET slice in color overlaid on a CT slice in gray.