• The Mediso NanoScan PET/MRI supports whole-body anatomic and physiological dynamic mouse and rat imaging at STTARR, including cardiac and respiratory gated PET and MRI
• PET specifications: 0.9 mm spatial resolution (with reconstructed voxel sizes of 0.3, 0.4 or 0.6 mm)
• MR specifications: 1 Tesla MRI, Gradient strength 450 mT/m, spatial resolution ≤ 100 µm with integrated gradient coil, RF and magnetic shielding

• Hidex AMG (Automatic Gamma Counter)

  Hidex Gamma counter is ideal for nuclear medicine and PET applications, with precise onboard balance, samples can automatically be weighed for preclinical biodistribution studies. It can count up to 230 samples that are 13mm in diameter and 72 samples at 28mm in diameter. It is a compact system with lead shielding to minimize interference as well as detects energies from 15-2000KeV.

  

This compact HPLC system not only has a UV-Vis detector, but also a NaI scintillation detector for characterizing and quantifying radioligands. It is sensitive enough to read low amounts of radioactivity over a wide range of energies and allows the delivery of up to 4 solvents allowing for maximum flexibility. Using the Laura software, the researcher can create and edit methods, set up sample runs, and view data collection in real time.

• The Mediso NanoScan SPECT/CT/PET trimodal system supports whole-body mouse and rat imaging at STTARR. Dual-isotope SPECT imaging as well as gated SPECT and PET acquisitions are possible
• SPECT parameters: spatial resolution varies depending on selected collimators, e.g. 1.1 mm (mouse - ultra-high sensitivity), 0.6 mm (mouse - ultra-high resolution) and 1 mm for rats
• PET parameters: 0.9 mm spatial resolution (reconstructed voxel options: 0.3, 0.4 or 0.6 mm)
• CT parameters: 10 µm minimum voxel size for a small field-of-view (e.g. mouse vertebra). Typically, a whole-body mouse CT takes less than 5 minutes for acquisition and reconstruction
• Its large single-bed-position field of view and high sensitivity allow simultaneous imaging of two mice, thereby reducing costs and maximizing the efficiency of radiotracer use. Using a "hotel" separator feature from imaging software, users can not only remove mouse bed layer but also input dose information of each mouse for quantification analysis

• The Cyclone Plus Storage Phosphor System supports high-resolution filmless autoradiography of gene arrays, electrophoresis gels, blots, thin layer chromatography samples, and tissue sections
• It is easy to use and highly sensitive, while providing high-quality images for publication purposes
• This system supports in vitro imaging of tissue sections, which is a more efficient and quantitative method for neurobiology studies compared to traditional film autoradiography

• Mimicking clinical radiotherapy imaging and treatments, our Small Animal Radiation Therapy (SmART+) systems bring a highly sophisticated, expandable platform to the field of preclinical research. Together with easy-to-use software and an advanced set of imaging modalities, including Cone-Beam CT, µCT, and Bioluminescence (BLI), this state-of-the-art focal irradiation system is the perfect tool for image-guided radiation research

Located at the Krembil Discovery Tower, the STTARR-operated Bruker SkyScan 1276 supports:

• In vivo imaging: Whole-body anatomical imaging of mice and rats
• Ex vivo imaging: High-resolution scans of small excised biological samples (e.g., mouse femur, tibia)
• Non-biological sample imaging

Technical Specifications:

• Maximum scan field of view: Width: 80 mm; Length: >300 mm
• Spatial resolution: Ex vivo (bone/tissue): Up to 2.8 µm voxel size; In vivo (mouse): ~10 µm voxel size

• Mediso nanoScan SPECT-CT-PET is a triple modality system which also supports whole-body anatomical imaging of mice and rats at STTARR. CT scans can be easily co-registered to corresponding SPECT or PET scans
• A 10 µm isotropic voxel size is the highest resolution possible for small (< 2 cm) field-of-view CT scans

STTARR's dual-energy CT supports large animal and phantom imaging studies.

• Soft Tissue Imaging: Differentiation without contrast agents
• Fluoroscopy: Real-time guidance for biopsies and interventional procedures

Technical Specifications:

• Gantry: 70 cm bore size; ±30° gantry tilt
• X-ray Tube & Generator: 10-835 mA, 80-140 kV range
• Detector: Gemstone Clarity detector; 21.4 lp/cm spatial resolution
• Spectral Imaging: Rapid kV switching (up t0.25 ms)
• Scan Speed: 0.35 sec/rotation (ideal for cardiac imaging) Full-body scans in ~6 seconds

• By utilizing a range of RF and gradient coil inserts, it can accomodate animal models ranging in scale from ex vivo tissue samples and rodents, through to 5-7 kg animals
• The machine capabilities are model-dependent, but can range from MR microscopy tasks (i.e. 60-micron isotropic voxels, using optimized RF coils and prolonged scanning sessions) through to standard techniques at high resolution for the relevant anatomy (i.e. 100x100x500-micron voxels in time-efficient murine brain scans; 500x500x1500-micron voxels in primates)
• The STTARR-MRI can also accomodate multi-modal MR/CT/PET imaging in rodents utilizing the Minerve Small Animal Environment System

** The Bruker 7T MRI is now upgraded as of Spring 2023, to the NEO architecture running ParaVision 360, which will provide safer operation, higher throughput imaging, longer hardware lifetimes, and best-in-class fast imaging.

• Siemens' 1.5T Aera is an equivalent MRI system to one that might be found in a clinical radiology department, including a 70 cm bore diameter and a clinically-standard selection of RF coils and MRI pulse sequences
• At STTARR, it allows for comprehensive imaging in larger animal models, plus it will serve as a platform for development of MR-guided therapeutics, including MR-guided high intensity focused ultrasound
• STTARR also maintains a research standard level of system access to enable use of custom techniques

• STTARR provides MR-guided high intensity focused ultrasound for both the 7 Tesla Bruker Biospec and 1.5 Tesla Siemens Aera MRI systems
• The small animal MRgHIFU system for the Biospec includes two 25-mm diameter 8-element annular array transducers; a 1.5 MHz transducer suited for blood brain barrier disruption, and a 2.5 MHz transducer appropriate for hyperthermia or ablation applications. The large animal system includes a 145-mm diameter 256-element phased-array transducer operating at 1 MHz
• For both small animal and large animal platforms, MRgHIFU feedback control based on real-time MR thermometry can be implemented through Proteus software

• Xenogen bioluminescence imaging provides the ability to detect luciferase-expressing cells with a high degree of sensitivity, making it particularly useful in for lower numbers of cells, for which fluorescence imaging may not be sensitive enough to separate signal from background autofluorescence
• The quantitative or semi-quantitative nature of bioluminescence imaging also allows the tracking of the number of cells (or degree of luciferase expression) over time, with multiple injections of luciferin, lending itself well to applications such as monitoring of tumor burden over time

• The CRI Maestro system is best used with known fluorophores, or transgenic cells expressing a fluorescent protein, growing subcutaneously within the murine model

• Operates at frequency (20 to 40MHz) an order of magnitude above what is typically used in the clinic (1 to 5 MHz), which improves the resolution which is crucial for imaging small structures of a mouse
• Features include 2D and 3D imaging, non-linear contrast imaging, M-mode, colour Doppler as well as pulsed-wave and continuous-wave Doppler
• Transducers for mice and rat interrogation are the MS250 (13-24 MHz) and MS550D (22-55 MHz)
• Heated mouse platform for regulating temperature and ECG-gating
• Ultrasound-guided biopsy instrumentation
• Vevo LAB software for quantifying and characterizing disease progression with specific applications

• A multi-component system which integrates laser light delivery with ultrasound image acquisition to produce photoacoustic image data
• Uses a 20Hz tunable laser (680 - 970nm) to image functional hemodynamic and molecular data with a resolution down to 40 µm and a depth of 1 cm
• Transducers for mice and rat interrogation are the MZ250 (13-24 MHz) and MZ550 (32-55 MHz)