The ACRF Centre for Translational Cancer Therapeutics and Imaging

This Centre was established for medical research and preclinical investigations and houses a range of advanced imaging technologies and platforms including:

Contact

If you would like to discuss opportunities to use our platform technologies and services, please contact:

Mark Frewin
Laboratory and Facilities Manager
P +61 3 9496 5299
M +61 434 242 518

Email

Take a look inside

PET MRI imaging

By combining a high-performance PET system and compact MRI technology, NanoScan® PM PET/MRI provides preclinical whole body soft tissue images with detailed quantitative imaging data within just one study. The PET camera offers quantitative 3D spatial resolution at 700 µm combined with a uniquely large field-of-view. The 1 Tesla permanent magnet for MRI provides 100 µm resolution with advanced sequences and ensures robust imaging across a broad range of biological applications including:

  • Oncology
  • Tumour biology
  • Stem cell investigations
  • Regenerative medicine
  • Neuroscience and receptor studies
  • Cardiology
  • Immunology and inflammation
  • Multimodal contrast agent development
  • Animal model development and phenotyping
  • Nephrology
  • Pharmacokinetics
  • PET development of radiotracers

SPECT CT imaging

The NanoSPECT/CTTM is an in-vivo molecular imaging system suitable for use with small animals and unifies functional (SPECT) and anatomical (CT) imaging procedures for preclinical investigations. With 250μm 3D SPECT and 30μm CT spatial resolution, exceptional quantification is permitted with an accuracy over 97%.

The system enables the examination of bio-chemical processes in healthy and disease models (including cancer, diabetes and stroke). It determines the localisation of radio-labelled compounds used as probes for the disease state, and monitors the efficacy of interventions or therapies. In living subjects, the effect of drugs in development can be monitored and compared in real time and at multiple time points within the one subject. Drug localisation as well as uptake can be quantified and visualised from the data collected.  The system is also suitable for monitoring genetic modifications and gene-therapeutic healing procedures using appropriate preclinical models.

IVIS spectrum imaging

The IVIS® Spectrum is a versatile and advanced in vivo imaging system, which uses a novel patented optical imaging technology to allow non-invasive longitudinal monitoring of disease progression, cell trafficking and gene expression patterns in living animals. High efficiency filters and spectral un-mixing algorithms take full advantage of bioluminescent and fluorescent reporters across blue to near-infrared wavelengths. It also offers single-view 3D tomography for both fluorescent and bioluminescent reporters, which can be analysed in an anatomical context using a Digital Mouse Atlas or registered with the IVIS multimodality module to other tomographic technologies such as MR, CT or PET.

For advanced fluorescence pre-clinical imaging, the IVIS Spectrum can use either trans-illumination (from the bottom) or epi-illumination (from the top) to illuminate in vivo fluorescent sources. 3D diffuse fluorescence tomography can be used to determine source localisation and concentration using the combination of structured light and trans illumination fluorescent images. The instrument is equipped with 10 narrow band excitation filters (30nm bandwidth) and 18 narrow band emission filters (20nm bandwidth), which assist in significantly reducing autofluorescence, via the spectral scanning of filters and the use of spectral unmixing algorithms. In addition, the spectral unmixing tools allow the researcher to separate signals from multiple fluorescent reporters in the same animal.