FOR 661:  Multimodal Imaging in Pre-clinical Research

• Subject Area: Medicine ; Physics
• Term: from 2006 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 15602054

It is the central goal of the Research Unit to enhance and to transfer the recent developments in the field of X-ray computed tomography (CT), and to augment them with further efforts in basic CT research and the combination of CT with other slice imaging modalities such as Magnetic Resonance Tomography (MR), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Ultrasound (US) and Optical Imaging (OI), in order to improve visualisation of macroscopic, histologic and functional changes. Using the field of small animal imaging, a multi-disciplinary team endeavours to improve the assessment of structure-functional relationships in the same animal under comparable conditions and in repetetive sequences using CT, MR, PET, US and OI, both organ- and pathology-oriented. The combination of biochemical, functional and morphologic information shall improve the possibilities for early non-invasive diagnosis and can finally lead to improved and often more cost-efficient patient care.
The projected CT developments, in particular for micro-CT, relate to optimisation of image quality at minimal dose, the development of tools for dynamic micro-CT, and the implementation of dual-energy methods. New approaches to CT image reconstruction aim at maximal low-contrast detectability for a given dose or, alternatively, minimal dose for a given level of image quality. In the field of pre-clinical research, we will focus on angiography and perfusion measurements with CT and MRI using rat models for the diagnosis of cerebral ischemia and functional MRI (fMRI) and optical imaging for vascular evaluation.
The application of various ultrasound imaging modalities in small animal imaging, the comparison of these modalities to MRT, micro-CT and PET, as well as technical combinations of ultrasound and micro-CT in a multi-modal system are further subjects. The combination of modern optical procedures with fluorescence imaging, which shall allow for minimally invasive investigations of molecular, cellular and physiological processes in vivo, with established X-ray imaging procedures - such as micro-CT - are an additional goal and shall allow combining of functional and anatomical information.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Bildgebende Charakterisierung und Quantifizierung der Vaskulogenese bei Arthritis (Applicant Schett, Georg )
• Exakte Niedrigdosis-Bildrekonstruktion für Single- und Dual-Energy Mikro-CT (Applicant Kachelrieß, Marc )
• Kombination optischer Fluoreszenzbildgebung mit dem Mikro-CT zur Fusionsbildgebung an Kleintieren (Applicant Langenbucher, Achim )
• Kontrast, Dosis, räumliche und zeitliche Auflösung in der CT mit Schwerpunkt auf Mikro-CT an Kleintieren (Applicant Kalender, Willi A. )
• Koordination der Forschungsgruppe 661 (Applicant Kalender, Willi A. )
• Molekulare Bildgebung mit Hilfe neuer PET-Tracer: µPET an experimentellen Arthritis- und Tumormodellen (Applicant Prante, Olaf )
• Multimodale Bildgebung am experimentelle Gliommodell (Applicant Dörfler, Arnd )
• Optimierte multimodale Gehirngefäßdarstellung zur Verbesserung der funktionellen Bildgebung schmerzinduzierter kortikaler Aktivitätsmuster bei Maus und Ratte (Applicant Hess, Andreas )
• Ultraschallbildgebung für die präklinische Forschung mit Schwerpunkt auf tomographischen Verfahren, insbesondere zur Tumordiagnostik (Applicant Ermert, Helmut )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Willi A. Kalender