The Small Animal Imaging & Radiotherapy Facility (SAIRF) was successfully awarded an NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant (SIG) S10 for an MILabs U-SPECT/CTUHR (ultra high-resolution) system. 
This system, which is tentatively planned to be installed late summer of 2020 and will be the only micro-SPECT system in Wisconsin, allows for scanning animals up to the size of a large rat. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) is a functional imaging technique that detects gamma rays resulting from radioactive decay from an injected radioisotope. A radioisotope can be attached to a specific ligand that can then seek out and bind to a target biological marker. The U-SPECT from MILabs allows imaging of both standard and high-energy theranostic radioisotopes that are commonly used in brain, heart, bone and cancer applications, although many other uses exist as well. Computed Tomography (CT) is traditionally an anatomical imaging technique that uses x-rays to detect density. As such, CT is commonly used in bone applications, but it is also useful for lung and soft tissue applications when a contrast agent is administered. The MILabs CTUHR can achieve a resolution down to 4microns; a major upgrade to our current capabilities which are limited to 50microns. Please contact the SAIRF manager at sairf@uwcarbone.wisc.edu with any questions.