Alex Waters and Chad Haney presented data on placenta imaging with MRI at the 25th annual International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. The work is part of an ongoing collaboration with Kelly Mayo (Molecular Biosciences), Michael Fritsch (Pathology), and Tom Meade (Chemistry). The work was well received, and has important implications for understanding ways to detect placental perfusion deficits that can lead to fetal growth restriction or stillbirth. The research is funded by an I3 (Innovative Initiatives Incubator) award from NU’s Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.
Category: news
New service: Bone Mineral Density imaging
CAMI has recently added a new service, bone mineral density imaging using microCT. Using a new hydroxyapatite phantom from QRM, we can now calibrate microCT images to quantitatively measure bone mineral density. This technique is especially useful in preclinical studies of bone regenerative medicine, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and skeletal phenotyping.
New animal monitoring systems in CAMI
CAMI is pleased to announce the installation of new MRI-compatible animal monitoring systems from SA Instruments, generously funded by NU’s Office for Research. The new animal warming system with integrated feedback control should result in significant increases the stability of animal temperatures during scanning, and the fiber-optic temperature monitoring system will be more accurate and create fewer image artifacts. Finally, the new cardiac gating module will open up a wide array of possibilities for cardiac imaging.
The new rat coil is here!
CAMI has received the quadrature rat body MRI coil generously funded by Northwestern’s Office for Research. We are excited to report that we are seeing significant improvements in rat anatomic imaging.
CAMI honored as top core facility
CAMI has been recognized as the top performing core facility in 2015 by the Office for Research. The Outstanding Core Facility Awards are given to core facilities scoring in the top 10% using a score based on grant submissions, publications, education and outreach, and user base. CAMI had the highest overall score, and was awarded a commemorative plaque and $2000 for core operations at a luncheon attended by Jay Walsh, Vice President for Research; Phil Hockberger, Executive Director of Research Facilities (OR); and Jeffrey Weiss, Director of Core Planning (FSM). We are honored by this award and look forward to continuing to support the outstanding research of our user base.
Improved rat MRI coming soon to CAMI
CAMI has received funding from Northwestern’s Office for Research to purchase a quadrature rat body MRI coil. This will significantly improve our MR imaging capabilities in the rat abdomen and chest, and will benefit several major users. The coil has been ordered from Bruker, and will arrive in early October.
Congratulations to MRI & IVIS users Victoria Harrison & Christiane Carney
on the publication of their manuscript “Multimeric Near IR–MR Contrast Agent for Multimodal In Vivo Imaging” in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Their manuscript was selected as an Editors’ Choice publication in the July 22, 2015 issue. Victoria and Christiane used CAMI’s IVIS Spectrum and 9.4T MRI to test their multimodal Near IR-MRI contrast agent in vivo.
CLP Core Crawl
Visit CAMI and see our new PET/CT this Thursday, July 17 from 3-5PM at the CLP Core Crawl! CAMI staff will be on hand for demonstrations of the 3D visualization wall, as well as tours showcasing our suite of imaging equipment. This is a great chance for to meet us, see our preclinical imaging equipment, and discuss how imaging might advance your research.
PET/CT added to CAMI’s preclinical nuclear imaging suite
CAMI has just added a new nuclear imaging modality; a positron emission tomography and x-ray computed tomography (PET/CT)imaging system. CAMI was the first facility to offer nuclear imaging for small animals at Northwestern when single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT) was added in August 2014. Both the PET/CT and SPECT/CT scanners offer sub-millimeter resolution with high sensitivity, utilizing state-of-the-art hardware and software. These preclinical instruments are smaller versions of those used in the clinic, allowing researchers at CAMI to translate preclinical findings directly to patients. The addition of these imaging modalities to CAMI’s suite of MRI and IVIS instruments allows CAMI to provide unparalleled service in translational medicine, therapeutics, and diagnostics. The data generated by CAMI’s nuclear imaging instruments will provide investigators with quantitative, noninvasive and longitudinal measurements that address the technological needs and enhance the advancements of a wide range of biomedical research projects ongoing at Northwestern University. Nuclear imaging is not is not only more sensitive than most traditional animal studies, such as biodistribution and toxicity studies, it also requires fewer animals to obtain significant results and is more clinically relevant. Please contact CAMI’s managing director, Chad Haney (chad.haney@northwestern.edu), to discuss how preclinical imaging can transform your research.
Congratulations to MRI user Kirsten Viola
on the publication of her manuscript “Towards non-invasive diagnostic imaging of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease” in Nature Nanotechnology. As part of a collaboration between Prof. Bill Klein and Prof. Vinayak Dravid’s research groups, Kirsten used CAMI’s MRI systems to image iron magnetic nanostructures targeted to amyloid beta-oligomers, which may represent an earlier biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease than the more widely known amyloid plaques.