In areas such as neuroscience non-invasive imaging techniques provide answers to questions such as whether the drug has reached the target, or has any clinically useful effects at the intended sites of action. These non-invasive techniques, when used in preclinical models, not only provide valuable data that can reduce costs by allowing drug candidates to 'fail early', but also use far fewer animals than studies that use conventional microscopy approaches. Translational imaging also enables cross species comparability that validates the results obtained from animal models of disease against the clinical endpoints expected in humans.
Research capabilities in animal imaging within SINAPSE span a range of techniques including MRI, fMRI, PET & SPECT. There is particular expertise in neuroscience covering stroke, brain hypoperfusion, neurodegeneration and demyelination; there is also expertise in cardiovascular applications such as myocardial infarction, cardiac viability, and atherosclerosis; and expertise in oncology and sleeping sickness.
SINAPSE brings together experts working at the forefront of animal imaging with colleagues in clinical research. This makes SINAPSE the ideal partner for academic and industrial collaborations for translational medicine research.
Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen has a Suinsa ARGUS DR pre clinical PET/CT. The scanner is embedded within the experimental wing of the animal house for longitudinal studies. There is also a cyclotron and radiochemistry facility onsite and access to a range of standard and novel PET tracers as well as in-vitro methods to further study the mechanism of uptake of PET tracers
Additionally there is a 4.7T MRI scanner. Plans include upgrading this to a 7T scanner, which will be located next to the PET/CT in a new preclinical imaging suite attached to the animal facility, which would also house fluorescence imaging equipment.
Main research interests and available animal models include a range of neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia etc) as well as stroke inflammation, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular models. Plans to add oncology models are at an advanced stage.
There is an active and expanding programme aimed at developing novel imaging biomarkers across the four modalities (PET, MRI, CT & Optical).
Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh has a 7T Varian "Direct Drive" MRI system for animal imaging based at the Medical School, University of Edinburgh. The maximum usable bore size is approximately 150 mm which when fitted with a range of RF coils and three sizes of gradient sets is used to optimally image mice, rats and rabbits. RF coils include a range of "volume" coils for mice, rats and rabbits; small surface coils for proton and other nuclei (e.g. 19F, 23Na, 31P, 13C); phased array coils for mouse brain, rat brain and rat cardiac applications.
Optical imaging and ultrasound equipment is available in adjacent rooms, facilitating a multimodal approach.
The MRI facility is embedded within the main animal house, permitting unlimited longitudinal studies. Four animal preparation rooms are located within the MRI facility itself. Full anaesthetics and MR compatible physiological monitoring are available.
Main research interests and available animal models: brain hypoperfusion, neurodegeneration, fMRI in conscious rats, cardiac (myocardial infarction, viability), atherosclerosis, oncology, metabolic syndrome, musculoskeletal.
The plans for animal PET imaging include a large animal PET/CT for Veterinary College imaging centre, a small animal PET/CT for the Chancellor Building and a preclinical PET scanner.
Glasgow
The University of Glasgow has two 7T MRI Bruker systems for animal imaging at the Glasgow Experimental MRI Centre (GEMRIC) in the Garscube Estate where the University's Vet School is situated. The systems are a Biospec and a Pharmascan. Usable bore sizes are 152mm which when supplemented by a range of RF coils and three sizes of gradient sets are used to optimally image mice, rats or rabbits. In-house purpose built RF coils can be made, recent examples includes microimaging coils for ex-vivo murine optic nerves and in vivo murine flank tumours (allowing dynamic contrast studies at 100 micron isotropic resolution to be obtained). The Biospec has multinuclear capability.
There are two animal holding rooms and one operating theatre within the GEMRIC building. Full anaesthetics and MR compatible physiological monitoring are available.
Their main research interests and available animal models are stroke, cardiovascular, oncology, demyelination, sleeping sickness.
Additionally in Glasgow there are animal holding facilities within the recently installed 3T clinical imaging unit at the British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre in Glasgow University. Animal studies can be performed on this full sized MR by utilising specialised RF coils.
Glasgow also has access to a small animal SPECT scanner for molecular imaging, established in 2007 a joint collaboration between the Department of Clinical Physics and the manufacturers, Neurophysics. The MollyQ-50TM is housed at the Wellcome Surgical Institute where SPECT studies are supported by newly refurbished radiochemistry labs operated by radiochemsitry staff with expertise in the production of established and novel radioligands,
The microSPECT camera is located along side an animal handling unit and operating theatre.
Within radiochemistry their main research interests are new tracer development and validation.
Dundee
Dundee has a 7T Bruker small animal MRI situated in the College of Life Sciences. The Institute for Medical Science and Technology IMSaT, in Dundee, is a joint Initiative with University of St. Andrews. It hosts GE's First European Centre of Excellence for MRI guided Interventions and Surgery with a 16 channel 1.5 T GE HDx, ExAblate 2000 Body and Conformal Bone System, INNOMOTION MRI Robot combined with the Maquet 1150 surgical suite and GE mobile c-arm OCR 9900.
Preclinical PET research in Dundee includes Biomarker development in collaboration with Aberdeen.
