In vivo Micro-CT System
The Bruker’s SkyScan 1276 is located in the Lorry Lokey Preclinical Research Facility, room 314
- The small animal in-vivo micro-CT imaging scanner (SkyScan 1276, Bruker, Germany) was acquired in 2018 for non-invasive pre-clinical applications.
- It provides high performance with fast and high spatial resolution images.
- It has an unrivalled combination of high resolution, big image size, possibility for round and spiral (helical) scanning and reconstruction, and low dose imaging.
- The variable magnification in the Bruker Skyscan 1276 scanner allows scanning bone and tissue samples with high spatial resolution down to 2.8 μm pixel size.
- Variable X-Ray energy combined with a range of filters ensures optimal image quality for diverse research applications from lung tissue to bone with metal implants.
- Further, the SkyScan 1276 in vivo micro-CT administers low radiation dose to the animals allowing multiple scans in longitudinal preclinical studies without the risk of unwanted radiation - induced side effects.
- An on-screen dose meter indicates accumulated dose or current dose rate, based on X-ray absorption calculated from projection images of the animal body.
- The system can perform scanning with continuous gantry rotation and in step-and-shoot mode with fastest scanning cycle 3.9 sec.
- The system includes Physiological Monitoring subsystem for real-time visual monitoring, movement detection, synchronization with breathing and heart activities and keeping stable preselected animal temperature.
- The animal cassettes include special connectors for clip electrodes to detect ECG signals by a sensitive amplifier integrated in the physiological monitoring sub-system.
- The ECG connections use wiring and electrodes, specially developed by Bruker microCT, which contain no metal parts.
- The wires and electrodes employ advanced carbon-fiber conductive parts with X-ray absorption similar to that of animal tissues for uncompromised image quality.