SMALL ANIMAL IMAGING FACILITY | Research Core

The ultra sensitive CCD camera of the IVIS Spectrum CT enables bioluminescent imaging which detects the light emitted by living cells expressing a reporter gene such as luciferase. It allows noninvasive visualization and monitoring of cellular and genetic activity within a living organism, in real time.

For fluorescence imaging, the instrument can operate in reflectance or transillumination mode. Filtered light from a broad-band lamp provides the excitation source in both modes. In the reflectance mode, light is delivered to four reflectors that are located on the ceiling of the imaging chamber. In the transillumination mode, the excitation light is delivered to an x-y translation assembly under the stage and focused to a 2 mm diameter beam that can be directed to a particular location on the underside of the animal subject.

The system includes 10 excitation and 18 emission filters that enable spectral scanning of reporters over the range from 480-850 nm. The high-speed micro-CT system uses an X-ray source and a flat panel X-ray detector to produce high resolution 3D images of mouse skeletal structure and surrounding soft tissue. The IVIS Spectrum CT imaging system uses CT images to reconstruct the surface topography. The concentration and 3D anatomical location of fluorescent sources can be computed from CT images and transillumination fluorescent images. The 3D anatomical location and strength of luminescent sources are computed from CT and luminescent image data.