New Micro-Imaging Suite

We have enjoyed tremendous institutional support for establishing a first rate small animal imaging facility and will be centralizing our efforts into a newly designed 2000 gsf facility specifically designed for small animal and molecular imaging in the new WIMR (Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research), building, a 7-story research building attached to the hospital and adjacent to the School of Pharmacy and the Waisman Research Institute.

This new facility houses the small animal imaging equipment including the microCT and microCT/microPET hybrid scanners, optical (currently fund raising) and Visual Sonics bioacoustic microscopy systems, 4.7T MRI and associated hyperpolarization apparatus. Several Siemens (IRW) and Amira based image reconstruction and analysis workstations are also located here.

An important aspect of this new facility is the adjacent animal holding room which contains new passively ventilated rodent housing racks (Animal Care Systems, Inc) for holding radioactive animals and those involved in long-term tumor monitoring studies.

The new WIMR complex is strategically located adjacent to the new animal vivarium and non radioactive animals involved in imaging studies are housed there. This preclinical and molecular imaging suite is designed with translational research in mind as supported by the fact the microCT/microPET hybrid is located adjacent to the new research clinical GE 64-slice PET/CT hybrid scanner. Also located adjacent to the small animal imaging suite will be the cyclotron and radiochemistry facilities which will provide expertise on PET agent synthesis in a collaborative or fee for service basis.

The small animal imaging director currently coordinates PET synthesis with Drs. Nickles and DeJesus in the Medical Physics Department. Agents may alternatively be acquired from commercial sources such as PET Net or IBA Molecular and the source will ultimately be determined by price, availability, and quality of the requested PET agents.

Contrast Agent Development

Our investigators are well known in the development of cell-selective contrast and imaging agents useful for CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine. Images from our small animal imaging lab are currently included on the preclinical molecular imaging websites of both GE Healthcare and Siemens, the two major producers of microCT, microPET and hybrid scanners. Moreover, two agents developed in our labs, FenestraTM VC and LC, are now commercially available to the world-wide research community from Advanced Research Technologies (ART, Montreal).

In order to preserve the pathological integrity of the current animal facilities, investigators are required to transfer their animals to one of our general microimaging protocols prior to transferring them to our facility. Once they arrive for scanning they remain in our holding area until the end of the experiment whereupon they are euthanized or placed into a quarantine room. Under no circumstances are the animals allowed to leave our facility for placement back into their original SPF housing area. We have invested in the latest passively ventilated rodent cage systems in order to ensure healthy maintenance of the animals. Animals are allowed to be housed in our facility for long periods of time as required for longitudinal studies. Dr. Weichert is a member of the Medical School animal care committee and Dr. Moser actually serves as its director.

The policies of the facility will be established and governed by an oversight committee comprised of imaging scientists and physicists as well as several cancer biologists and veterinarians. At least one member of the oversight committee will be a current member of the Medical School animal care committee. Administrative support will be provided by UWCCC management and personnel.

Oversight

The small animal imaging facility oversight committee consists of Jane Wegenke, Associate Director of the Cancer Center, Robert Jeraj, Assistant Professor of Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering, and Human Oncology, Amy Moser, Associate Professor of Human Oncology and Director of the UW Medical School Animal Care Committee, Beth Meryerand Associate Professor of Medical Physics and Radiology, Jamey Weichert, Associate Professor of Radiology, Medical Physics and Pharmaceutics, and Calvin Patten, the veterinarian who oversees the facility.

Floorplan

MRI: 4.7T Varian and GE Hyperpolarizer system.

Animal Prep: Cell culture, radioactive animal holding (rats and mice), gamma counter, tissue distribution.

MicroPET/CT: Siemens Inveon Hybrid Scanner and Siemens MicroCAT-2 CT scanner both with large field of view detectors. Two Siemens IRW advanced imaging work stations.

Optical/US: Will hold in vivo optical scanner and Visual Sonics high-frequency US system.

Hot lab: Radioactive doses stored, drawn and assayed in this shielded room.

New Vivarium: Will house rodents (B-level) and non-human primates (Level 1).