Molecular Imaging Center Services

 
SOM Home > Research > Molecular Imaging Core > Molecular Imaging Core Services > Molecular Imaging Center Services

Molecular Imaging Center Services

Services in Molecular Imaging Core

Note that data from different modalities has been combined in many of the examples shown here.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

  • Tumor imaging and sizing.
  • Cardiac imaging
  • 31P NMR non-localized spectroscopy

Click for larger, animated  view of mouse heart, normal on left, myocardial infarction on right: also see glioblastoma imageMRI image of normal and myocardial infarct hearts

Dual Modality X-Ray and Gamma Imaging
CT and CT-SPECT scans

  • Simultaneous high-resolution gamma and X-ray imaging of radio-labeled cells
  • Imaging of targeted imaging agents.

Click image for larger view; also see cell tracking imageImage of showiing cell tracking by X-Ray and Gamma Ray Imaging

Bioluminescence / Fluorescence Imaging

  • Reporter gene imaging such as Firefly luciferase (bioluminescence) and near infrared fluorescent protein (fluorescence).
  • Fluorescent dye imaging using targeted imaging agents.

Click for larger imageBioluminescent image tracking bladder Cancer Cells in a mouse

Micro Positron Emission Tomography (MicroPET)

  • Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) imaging of areas of hypermetabolic activity.
  • Fluoride ion (18F-) bone imaging.
  • Imaging of labeled targeted agents, e.g. 64Cu-fMLP 18F labeled small molecules

Click image for larger viewmicro CT and micro-PET Images of inflammed lungs

Image Processing

  • FindTags to calculate cardiac circumferential shortening and regional strain maps.
  • Vitrea for volume rendering, 3 dimensional reconstructions, fly-throughs of 3D data sets.
  • Argus cardiac analysis package (Siemens Medical Systems, Iselin, NJ).

Chemistry Lab for Production of Custom Imaging Agents

  • Production of radiometal, (64Cu, 99mTc, 111In) and radioiodine labeled peptides and antibodies
  • Custom-synthesis of 18F and radioiodine labeled small molecules.
  • Custom-development of molecule-targeting MRI contrast agents.
  • Development of molecular imaging agents for non-invasive fluorescent imaging

Cyclotron

Uses: production short lived PET isotopes 11C, 13N, and 15O, longer lived PET isotopes 64Cu, 76Br, 124I, gamma isotopes 67Ga, 123I, and 111In and 165Er