URMC / Center for Musculoskeletal Research / Core Services / Biomechanics and Multimodal Tissue Imaging (BMTI) Core / Facilities

Facilities

Small Animal and Tissue Imaging Sub-Core

The major state-of-the-art imaging equipment in the BMTI Core include: Faxitron

1) LX-60 Faxitron Specimen Radiography System (Faxitron X-Ray Corporation, Lincolnshire, IL) featuring 10-60 kV constant potential output voltage; 0.3 mA continuous current from 10 – 40 kV, iso-watt limited to 12 watts from 40-60 kV; X-ray tube with less than 0.02 mm focus; shielded cabinet; and safety interlocks. Accessories include Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) that regulates exposures based on absorbed dose (via a sensor placed under the film cassette) rather than time, a digital Hamamatsu CMOS type digital camera featuring 120 x 120 mm field of view and a dedicated PC for digital image acquisition and editing.

2) A Micro Computed Tomography (micro-CT) Facility houses a state-of-the-art scanner (VivaCT 40, Scanco USA, Inc.) for live small animals and specimens. The scanner is fitted with an adjustable X Ray Source Energy (30 - 70 kVp) and that can scan (using Scanco cone beam geometry) specimens as large as 90 mm in diameter in a field of view (FOV) of up to 39 mm and a scan length of 145 mm at a nominal resolution of 10 microns. The scanner is also fitted with animal position holders instrumented with auxiliary anesthesia tubes and cones, and ductwork to facilitate anesthesia gas ventilation into a fumes hood. The scanner is controlled via an HP AlphaServer DS25 (1 GHz Processor) workstation, with 19” TFT Monitor, 1 x 36 + 2 x 300 GB Hard Disks, and 4 GB RAM. Scan acquisition, reconstruction, analysis and measurements are performed using a specialized suite of 64 bit software applications running on an open VMS platform. Data backup is enabled through an external high capacity, high performance streaming tape drive (HP Storage SDLT 600 tape drive). An additional HP Integrity rx2660 Itanium-based server is clustered to the system to enable data analysis independent of scan acquisition in order to increase temporary storage capacity and data throughput. The Itanium-based server features Dual Core (4 CPU system) 24 GB RAM, 2 x 72 GB (15K RPM) U320 SCSI internal disk drives, 2 x 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet, 20” TFT Monitor, and RAID-controlled 8 x HP 300 GB SCSI disk storage tower for a total of 2.4 TB external storage.

Schedule the Micro-CT (internal only)

3) IVIS® Spectrum multispectral imaging instrument (Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. - Hopkinton, MA). The IVIS Spectrum has unique capabilities for sensitively imaging both bioluminescent and fluorescent reporters within the same animal without mixing the multi-spectra.

Schedule the IVIS Spectrum

The system performs both epi- and trans-illumination fluorescent imaging and uses high efficiency narrow band-pass filters coupled with spectral unmixing algorithms to differentiate between multiple shallow and deep fluorescent sources. This is useful in optimally enabling a wide array of fluorescence/bioluminescence research applications. The system is also capable of performing 3D tomographic reconstructions for BOTH bioluminescence and fluorescence, and enables data co-registration with complementary modalities such as CT and MRI.

Vevo770 4) The Vevo® 770 (Visualsonics, Inc. Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is an entry-level platform for ultrasound imaging with resolution as low as 30 micronsm at frame rates of up to 240 fps, and a range of RMV Scanheads for a variety of applications, including visualization and quantification of small animal anatomical targets, hemodynamics and therapeutic interventions.

5) The Intravital Imaging Lab (Bliq Photonics, Quebec) houses a hybrid imaging system for 5-channel fluorescence/ fluorescence lifetime microscopy and phosphorescence lifetime measurements in live tissue and animals. The system is equipped with a tunable ultrashort pulsed laser (690-1030 nm), a polygonal mirror (line scanning rate of 18 kHz), and a 25x NA1.1 objective lens to achieve subcellular resolution and video-rate imaging speed (> 30 frames/second) for real-time tracking of fast biological events, cell metabolism, and pO2 quantification. A separate laser allows plasma-mediated laser ablation for precise tissue removal or bone etching under image guidance. The imaging room is equipped with designated surgical area and vaporized isoflurane for long-hour live animal imaging.

To schedule use of the Intravital Imaging Lab, contact Shu-Chi (Allison) Yeh by email or phone (857-544-2719).

Biomechanical Testing Sub-Core

The major state-of-the-art biomechanical testing equipment in the BMTI Core include:

Instron 6) Instron 8841 DynaMight™ Servohydraulic Axial Testing System (Instron Corporation, Norwood, MA). The system has a ±1.0 KN nominal rating Additional load cells: ±10N, ±50N, and ±250N. Testing Modes:

axial tensile/compressive
3- & 4-point flexure testing
static and fatigue testing

7) TestBench™ Torsion Testing system (Bose Corporation ElectroForce Systems Group, Eden Prairie, MN)

± 2.8 N.m (25 in-lb) Torsional Actuator (Electric Servomotor)
±10 turns Angular Displacement Transducer (Digital Encoder)
Additional torque cell ±0.2 N.m (200 N.mm)
Torque resolution: 1 to 4 N.mm

Schedule biomechanical equipment (internal only)