Technology spotlight: preclinical applications of Micro-CT SkyScan 1176

SkyScan 1176 is a high-performance micro-CT and a non-invasive tool for preclinical research manufactured by Bruker.

Micro-CT’s are generally used to visualize in vivo tissues of mice/rats under anaesthesia or tissues collected (ex vivo) from humans, dogs, rodents, etc. This technique is mainly used to visualize tissues but can also be applied to soft tissue.

SkyScan 1176 is equipped with an 11-megapixel x-ray camera with a high resolution, a wide viewing field and a high acquisition speed. The width of the display field makes it possible to scan a rodent’s entire body well as the distal limbs of larger animals with pixel sizes of 9, 18 or 35 µm.

The filter wheel and the variable energy of the x-rays used provide great acquisition flexibility to scan a wide range of solid tissues (bones, for example) or soft tissues (such as lungs).

An automatic physiological animal monitoring system optimizes acquisitions by synchronizing the image capture of heartbeats and thoracic respiratory movements.

Here are a few examples of micro-CT imaging applications in preclinical research which could be of interest to CRCHUM teams.

Cardiometabolic

• Evaluate congenital cardiac malformations, cardiac function or infarction size in rodents.
• Visualize coronary circulation ex vivo in 3D, microvascular changes in progressive renal diseases.

Cancer

• Evaluate the effects of treatment on tumour growth.
• Monitor lymph node tumour cells in animals in real time.
• Evaluate microcalcifications in biopsies of human breast cancer samples.

Immunopathology

• Monitor immune cells during cell therapy.
• Evaluate physiological functions in acute or chronic lung diseases in small animals.
• Monitor angiogenesis and their treatments in liver and lung fibrosis.

Neurosciences

• Monitor stem cells in the brain and mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of retinal degeneration.
• Highlight specific regions of the brain by using targeted gold nanoparticles.
• Visualize and quantify blood brain barrier dysfunction post-CVA in mice.

Author: Core Facilities' Echo committee