Small animal research imaging facility (SARIF) is an infrastructure that consists of five instruments that allow advanced imaging of structures and processes that take place inside the experimental animal. These instruments enable the same animal to be analyzed on several occasions and over a long period.
The prices shown on this page are estimates, exact prices for using specific equipment/lab space is found in the booking system.
In order to use UCCB equipment and facilities, you must have a registered user for the booking system and a number of the instruments require that you have passed a specific training.
Information about equipment and the booking system is found on the UCCB information site, only available for Umeå University staff.
The instruments have been acquired through financing from the Medical Faculty at Umeå University and external funding sources for instance the Kempe foundation, Swedish Research Council, Wallenberg foundations.
The instruments are available to all researchers at Umeå University as well as to external users. The instruments are placed at UCCB.
A short presentation of SARIF.
For more information contact: Fahad Sultan.
The PET/CT instrument placed at UCCB
ImageIn Vivo Imaging System – IVIS
The In Vivo Imaging System (IVIS) can detect, localise and quantify faint luminescent or fluorescent (preferable near IR) signals, emitted from living mice under anaesthesia.
Applications include quantitative day by day monitoring of infection, disease progression and gene expression patterns in living animals. For both fluorescent and bioluminescent foci, the anatomical origin of the signal can be determined using a Digital Mouse Atlas.
User training and user club
Each group that wishes to use the instrument must join the User Club and for every individual running the machine, a training course is mandatory.
Price
The startup fee for joining the User Club is SEK 10,000.
The hourly cost is approx. SEK 440 per hour.
MRI
The MRI unit at UCCB is a small animal scanner and a BGA-12S HP gradient with integrated shims up to 2nd order. The scanner has a variety of surface coils, phase array coils and volume coils for mouse and rat head as well as whole body scan for both mouse and rat. The unit also possesses mouse Cryo coil that significantly increases the signal-to-noise ratio by a factor of approx. 2.5 compared to the RT coils for mouse head.
Possible applications; anatomical imaging, cardiovascular and inflammatory disease imaging, tumor infiltration, studies of neurological disease models and many more.
User training
A training course for each individual that is going to use the MR scanner is mandatory. Each group that wishes to use the instrument must join the User Club and for every individual running the machine, a training course is mandatory.
Price
The MR scanner can be booked in 2 hour blocks. A pilot for maximum of 5 days are at reduced price.
The fee for researchers from Umeå University that is fully trained on the scanner is approx SEK 1,350/2 hours. External users has a separate tariff.
PET/CT
The UCCB facility has a PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography – Compute Tomography). The instrument is suitable for in vivo imaging of mice and small rats, with a maximum PET-field-of-view of 80 millimeter diameter. The PET part of the scanner can record metabolic or biochemical activity with 0,8 millimeter spatial resolution. The CT part of the scanner document anatomical information down to 30 micrometer resolution.
The facility has expertise to perform dynamic PET scanning and pharmacokinetic modelling, high resolution CT and static PRT scans.
Short-lived radiopharmaceuticals needed for the scans are produced locally, in collaboration with Norrlands Universitetssjukhus, Umeå.
The facility has access to routinely made radiopharmaceuticals such as: F18-fluorodexylglucose, C11-acetate, F18-fluorothymidine, F18-NaF and C11-Raclopride with the possibility to also produce custom made compounds.
There are many applications for PET/CT, e.g., studies of cancer, cardiovascular system, inflammation, metabolic disease etc.
User training
An introductory training is mandatory and be can obtained on either CT or PET/CT.
Price
Introduction course on only CT approx. SEK 4,200 (cost for the instrument ) + salary for the staff.
Introduction course on PET/CT approx SEK 7,200 (cost for the instrument ) + salary for the staff.
The instrument can be booked for a minimum of one hour, approx SEK 700 SEK.
Ultrasound– Vevo 3100 system
There are two High-resolution Ultrasound Vevo 3100 systems available at UCCB, one located at Open A unit and the other at the infectious unit. Both systems are equipped with MX440 and MX550D linear array transducers suitable for cardiovascular, abdominal and embryology imaging. Additionally, Vevo3100 at open unit A also has a MX250 transducer for all MicromMarkerTM applications.
Consumables that must be supplied by the user
Inhalation anaesthesia, eye protective gel, surgical tape (3M), hair removing cream (e.g., Veet), cotton-tipped applicators and all other "stuff" needed for the specific experiment.
Consumables supplied
Electrode gel for ECG and ultrasound gel.
User training
An on-site course for each individual that is going to use the instrument is mandatory. Minimum 2h/user.
In-depth courses are available at the vendor.
Price
The on-site introduction course cost approx SEK 1,100 (cost for the instrument ) + salary for the staff.
The hourly cost for running the instrument is SEK 420.
