The Microscopy, Imaging, and Cytometry Resources (MICR) Core has added several pre-clinical imaging modalities to their portfolio of instruments. In addition to the PET/SPECT/CT suite of imagers located within the Elliman vivarium, MICR has recently upgraded their multimodal optical imager and added two optoacoustic instruments for non-invasive small animal imaging.

The IVIS Spectrum CT is a multimodal system able to detect Bioluminescence, Multi-wavelength fluorescence, CT, Reflected Light, and Cherenkov Radiation. This instrument is equipped with 10 excitation and 18 emission filters and can perform single-view 3D surface topography from structured light and 3D diffuse tomographic reconstructions for both bioluminescence and fluorescence modalities. Predominantly used for mice, the Spectrum CT may also be used for live imaging of other animal species (e.g., zebrafish) or cells.

The RSOM P50 Explorer and MSOT inVision instruments from iThera Medical provide high-resolution real-time ultrasound detection, allowing for the study of physiological processes at a molecular and cellular level. The RSOM provides intrinsic optical tissue contrast with resolution down to 20 µm at several millimeters depth. The MSOT can separate signals of interest, including tissue contrast from extrinsically administered agents and oxy/deoxy hemoglobin. The instrument is equipped for high sensitivity from 680 to 980 nm in 1 nm increments with 100 ms temporal resolution.

All MICR instruments are equipped with dedicated isoflurane anesthesia systems and temperature controls. For more information about all of our imaging modalities, please see the MICR website or contact Dr. Jessica Back (Jessica.Back@wayne.edu) with questions about next steps for using the MICR Core.