Awake Animal Imaging Instrumentation
The Biomedical Imaging Instrumentation program sponsors development of scanners to image biochemical processes in the body even when the patient is moving.
For people with claustrophobia, sliding into the long tunnel of a positron emission tomography (PET) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner can be a terrifying experience. To produce a clear picture, the subject must remain motionless while the scanner evaluates brain or tissue structure, chemistry, and function—sometimes for over an hour. For those who are unable to remain motionless due to age or physical conditions, these tests are often unavailable.
Small animals, imaged with technologies such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), provide keen insights into human physiology and disease processes. Current studies require the mouse or rat to be anesthetized for the imaging to be completed—which disturbs the very processes under study.
Development of instrumentation that allows a person or animal to move while still providing clear medical imaging will reduce the number of animals necessary in many research projects and allow more people to undergo medical imaging in greater comfort.
Current Projects
RatCAP (Conscious Animal PET) — A team of scientists are developing mobile imaging technology to view animal brain function without the use of anesthesia. When developed and refined for humans, such techniques may allow the subject to move during a PET or MRI scan. Principal Investigator: David Schlyer, Brookhaven National Laboratory.
MicroCAT: Restraint-Free Animal Imaging — A new technique that allows unrestrained small animals to undergo medical imaging may help scientists study human disease and physiology models more thoroughly. Principal Investigator: Andrew Weisenberger, Jefferson Laboratory.
