Services and Imaging Modalities

The PIVI facility is equipped with a high performance and resolution in vivo micro-CT system.

The SkyScan 1176 scanner provides an ideal anatomical imaging modality for non-invasive visualisation of lung, fat and bone, without the need for CT contrast agents. With its extra-large imaging bore and long axial field of view, the 1176 model offers excellent flexibility to image a wide range of subjects.

In material sciences, the 1176 system has provided engineering groups with a non-destructive method to investigate shape, porosity, density and other characteristics

Animal monitoring

The physiological monitoring sub-system includes video monitoring of an animal with real-time movement detection, ECG and breathing detection, and temperature stabilization.

The Varian 7 Tesla (T) is based in our Preclinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Facility, located at the Health Innovation Neighbourhood. It has a 31cm horizontal bore system, with a Varian Direct Drive console and 4 receiver channels.

One of the main advantages of MRI is its capability of producing highly detailed images of soft tissues. MRI is an extremely versatile imaging modality that can be utilised to collect dynamic, functional and metabolic information in vivo.

MRI techniques

The 7T MRI scanner offers a broad range of imaging and spectroscopy techniques including:

• dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI)
• cardiac imaging
• magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)
• diffusion and perfusion MRI
• functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
• MR angiography (MRA)
• anatomic imaging (T1/T2/Proton-Density weighted imaging)
• blood flow and blood oxygen measurements (BOLD EPI methods)

The 7T MRI is equipped with a range of specialised coils for pre-clinical imaging including:

• 72mm, 39mm and 30mm i.d. quadrature birdcage coils for whole body imaging
• dedicated brain imaging coil
• 31P surface coil
• 19F surface coil
• 13C surface coil

Potential applications of MRI

• Oncology
• Tumour growth
• Response to treatment
• Cell tracking
• Development of MRI contrast agents
• Neuroscience and neurodegenerative disorders
• Pharmaceuticals
• Drug discovery
• Pharmokinetics (PK)
• Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME)
• Infectious and inflamatory diseases
• Cardiology
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Metabolic studies

Animal monitoring

The MRI is completed with a small animal (SA) instrument which allows image gating.

Additionally, the system can simultaneously monitor and record ECG, respiration and blood pressure. Animals are heated by air with a heater system. Temperature is monitored using a fibre-optic thermometry system.

Funded by the Wellcome Trust, this 3D optical imaging system allows non-invasive and real-time longitudinal monitoring of disease progression, cell trafficking, and gene expression patterns. The system is capable of both luminescence and fluorescence modes of imaging.

Real-time in vivo imaging

‌The IVIS can image bioluminescence and fluorescence in up to 5 mice during a single scanning session. Images can be used to generate high quality 3D quantitative representations of bioluminescence and fluorescence (400–840 nm) in vivo and in real time.

The IVIS software allows for easy switching between fluorescence and bioluminescence modes and facilitates in vivo spectral unmixing of fluorescent probes.

The system also incorporates a topographic laser scanner, and can yield for single-view, diffuse tomographic reconstructions of internal sources.

IVIS techniques

• Bioluminescent
• Spectral un-mixing
• Fluorescence, including epi-illumination and trans-illumination
• 3D diffuse tomographic, including Fluorescent Imaging Tomography (FLIT) and Diffuse Luminescence Imaging Tomography (DLIT)

Potential applications of IVIS

• Functional genomics
• Expression profiles and regulation study
• Protein–protein interaction
• Apoptosis study
• Oncology
• Tumour growth and metastasis
• Tumour related gene study
• Infectious disease
• Infectious pathway
• Molecular study
• Stem cell research
• Tracking and functional analysis
• Phamaceuticals
• Drug discovery (high throughput)
• Pharmacokinetics (PK)
• Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME)
• Toxicology research
• Pharmaceutical toxicology
• Chemical toxicology
• Gene delivery and therapy
• Expression kinetics and localisation

Animal monitoring

IVIS is equipped with an Isoflurane anaesthesia system providing accurate flows of 0.5 and 1.0 L/min of gas (O2).

IVIS stage temperature can be monitored where the subjects are placed.

The pre-clinical Centre for Translational Systems Neuroscience (CTSN) facility houses a Bruker 4.7 Tesla (T), 38 cm bore. This is ideally suited for vertical/upright scanning of behaving NHPs.

This scanner is a part of an international initiative working towards NHP MRI open data (PRIME-DE: Milham et al., Neuron, 2018; Milham, Petkov et al., Neuron 2020). We are a key site providing high-quality and high-resolution structural and functional MRI data in behaving NHPs as an indispensable translational model for understanding the human brain in health and disease. The scanner has also supported contracts, such as  for scanning soft tissue at high resolution, and national and international collaborations.

MRI is an extremely versatile imaging modality that can be utilised to collect dynamic, functional and metabolic information in vivo. The 4.7T and 7T pre-clinical systems are also currently being developed for smaller NHP scanning, in collaboration with University of Cambridge.

MRI techniques

The 4.7T MRI scanner offers a broad range of imaging techniques including:

• Anatomic imaging (T1/T2/Proton-Density weighted imaging)
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
• Diffusion-weighted imaging
• Resting-state fMRI
• Animal welfare monitoring
• Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)
• Blood oxygen measurements (BOLD EPI methods)
• High-resolution laminar-resolved fMRI

The 4.7T MRI is equipped with a range of specialised coils for pre-clinical imaging including:

• 4 and 8 channel phased-array imaging coils
• Array of transmit/receive coils
• GRAPPA reconstruction for protocols using parallel acceleration
• Presentation of auditory and visual stimuli
• Eye tracking system, lever press system, reward delivery system
• Flexible interface for experimental setups

Potential applications of MRI

• Neuroscience and neurodegenerative disorders
• Optogenetics effects visualisation (opto-fMRI)
• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
• Deep brain stimulation visualisation (es-fMRI)
• Transcranial ultrasound neurostimulation (collaboration with University of Oxford)
• Musculoskeletal disorders

Contact

For further information on the Bruker 4.7T MRI system please contact Dr Balezeau

The PIVI facility benefits from a clinical grade Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) system.

SWE is a medical imaging technique used in ultrasound to assess the stiffness or elasticity of tissues. This non-invasive method provides valuable information about tissue characteristics and is particularly useful in the evaluation of liver fibrosis and other soft tissue abnormalities.

• Shear Wave Elastography  (SWE)
  • Tissue elasticity
• Doppler / Colour imaging
  • Fluid motion – velocity  & direction 
• 2D B-mode anatomical  imaging
  • Structural measurement