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Enquiries: NRC-IBD
Phone: 204-983-7692
Fax: 204-983-3154
Email: ibd.research@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
435 Ellice Avenue
Winnipeg,
Manitoba,
R3B 1Y6
Canada
Molecular Imaging - Spectroscopy
Preclinical imaging technologies, in general, help researchers to identify, monitor, and diagnose diseases in living animals for the further development and evaluation of novel therapeutic compounds. Our preclinical systems facilitate not only basic research but also provide a complete range of imaging tools that provide key information in the diagnosis of diseases and the development of new therapeutic agents.
Our main goal is the translation of research from animal models to humans in the development of molecular imaging technologies for clinical trials and personalized medicine. Our research team focuses on providing efficient methods and procedures for in vivo analysis over time, integration of the data obtained by the different imaging technologies and finally, to proceed with the validation and interpretation of all in vivo imaging data.
In vivo imaging is a fundamental component that connects basic (from the molecular level) and clinical cancer research (clinical imaging of patients, personalized medicine). We provide investigators with the support for the in vivo and ex vivo identification and understanding of biological processes, diagnosis of diseases, and the management of diseases by monitoring and measuring the efficacy of proposed therapies, among others.
Most of our imaging devices are especially engineered for the in vivo imaging of small animals. The use of different spectroscopic modalities on the same animal not only improves the quality of data obtained from the research projects but also decreases the number of animals required for a particular research project. To this end, by using the same animal, several images can be obtained at different time points allowing better understanding of the effect of new therapeutic agents and improved statistical validation of their therapeutic effect.
Most of the small animal imaging is done on genetically engineered mice and rats or hamsters. Once the therapeutic agents have been validated we proceed to “upscale” the research projects, a step closer to clinical validation, by using medium-size animal models (such as ferrets, rabbits), or large size animal models (woodchucks and pigs).
Our skilled staff members provide services from a wide range of expertise from tissue culture, implantation of xenografts, and histology to the discovery, development, and exploitation of imaging methods. We also provide assistance and support in the development and/or production of necessary probes for the imaging technologies provided. The variety of established and novel instrumental methods in our institute include magnetic resonance, thermal, fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging, infrared spectroscopy, OCT, CARS, and microPET. We have strong collaborations with industry, academia, and health care professionals, and with other research groups among all NRC Institutes.
The animal facility at NRC-IBD guarantees the humane care and the optimal use of its research animals in strict compliance of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines. We are committed to providing an efficient and cost-effective opportunity for collaborations including academia and industry for both preclinical and clinical research.
Related Information
Read more about Molecular Imaging - Spectroscopy:
- Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy
- Non-linear Optical Microscopic Imaging
- Fluorescence Imaging
- Frequency Modulated Spectroscopy
- MRI Studies
- Bioluminescence Imaging
- Optical Coherence Tomography
- Raman Spectroscopy
- Speckle Imaging
- Thermal Imaging
- High Throughput Diagnostics
- Diagnostic Technologies
Related Programs:
- Medical Photonics
