You are here
HIGH-SPEED MICRO-CT DETECTOR FOR PHYSIOLOGIC STUDIES
Phone: (617) 926-1167
Email: VNAGARKAR@RMDINC.COM
Phone: (617) 926-1167
Email: GENTINE@RMDINC.COM
Dedicated high-resolution small animal imaging systems have recently emerged as important new tools for cancer research. These systems permit noninvasive screening of animals for mutations
or pathologies and to monitor disease progression and response to therapy. One
imaging modality, x-ray microcomputed tomography (microCT), shows promise as a
cost-effective means for detecting and characterizing soft tissue structures,
skeletal abnormalities, and tumors in live animals. The existing CT systems
provide high-resolution images with excellent sensitivity to skeletal tissue
and soft tissue, particularly when contrast-enhancing media are employed.
However, use of this powerful modality for many important functional studies
such as first pass bolus-tracking methodology for volumetric tumor perfusion as
well as true whole organ physiologic imaging is limited due to their slower
speed of operation (5 to 30 minutes) and limited active imaging area.
To address these limitations, we propose to develop a high speed, high
sensitivity, large area detector for microCT. The detector will be based on a
high efficiency structured scintillator coupled to a modified architecture CCD
with specially designed readout to accommodate high frame rates. This will
enable imaging of tissue vascular physiology and perfusion in organs as well as
conducting functional physiologic studies in small animals.
* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *