In this proposal we request funding for a Bruker 4.7/16 PharmaScan rodent MRI/MRS scanner. In the last decade, MRI and MRS (magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy) have shown great promise in drug discovery, basic pre-clinical investigations, as well as hypothesis-driven biomedical research. The advantages of these rapidly developing techniques are their non-invasive nature and the abundance of anatomical, physiological, and biochemical parameters that can be monitored. In the past year, the Department of Anesthesiology has established a Biomedical MRS laboratory with two high-resolution Bruker NMR systems (a 500 MHz narrow-bore and a 300 MHz wide-bore magnets) for ex vivo experiments on tissue extracts, cell cultures, and perfused organs. Although there is a high demand, the University of Colorado still does not have any MRS/MRI capabilities for animals; our existing imaging equipment is not sufficient to support the many needs of our investigators. UCHSC has several faculty members with extensive experience with animal MRI/MRS scanners who will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the requested PharmaScan. Specifically, having the first animal scanner at UCHSC, we will be able (a) to support all investigators of basic and translational research which is related to small animals; (b) to share imaging research resources to be used intradepartmentally and intrainstitutionally in Colorado; (c) to train both professional and technical support personnel in the science and techniques of small animal imaging; (d) to develop novel sophisticated methods in the area of molecular imaging. The requested PharmaScan will be placed in the MRS/MRI suite of the new Vivarium in Research Complex I on UCHSC's new Fitzsimons campus. This location will be ideal since animals will not have to be removed from the animal facility for MRS/MRI studies. The Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and the Cancer Center have committed sufficient financial resources for setting up, running and maintaining the instrument. This is a much needed instrumentation and will provide an important regional facility for in vivo research in Colorado and the surrounding Rocky Mountain region.

S10RR019316

2005-04-01

2006-03-31