Whole Animal Imaging Core

Boston University Medical Campus, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

The Whole Animal Imaging Core (WAIC) will establish and maintain a state of the art magnetic resonance imaging facility under BSL-4 containment in which whole animals (control and infected with category A, B and C agents) can be examined by NEIDL investigators. The facility is planned to take advantage of anticipated innovations in MRI and related imaging technologies such that state-of-the-art imaging capacity will be part of the research repertoire in the near and distant time frames. It is clear that longitudinal studies of organism pathogenesis, treatment response and immune protection studies of category A agents have been limited by the unavailability of modern imaging technologies in a BSL4 high containment environment. This is especially true for non-human primate studies where "point in time" necropsy studies have often had to substitute for longitudinal imaging studies. Because of the lack of such facilities little is known about the fine neuroanatomy of the BSL4 agents which cause central nervous system disease. Indeed there have been no studies using functional MRI on animals infected with BSL3 and BSL4 pathogens. Novel molecular imaging techniques are also rapidly developing which are capable of non invasively investigating such relevant topics as organ function during infection with category A, B and C agents, the trafficking of immune cells in control and infected animals, and the distribution and concentrations of pharmacologic agents in control and infected animals. For all these reasons it is essential that state of the art imaging facilities are necessary for the research agenda of NEIDL investigators over the next twenty years.