Small Animal Imaging Unit

woman looks into a microscope

The Small Animal Imaging Unit provides imaging support for biomedical research and is located on the 4th floor of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center in suite 403. Access to the imaging space and all equipment must be approved by the facility director. Users will be allowed access to the imaging space by the facility manager once they have completed a training session. Please see our general policies for more information about use of the equipment.

Bioluminescence Imaging

Small animal bioluminescence imaging provides state-of-the-art, noninvasive visualization of luciferase-expressing tissues. The equipment monitors cellular events such as tumor progression and metastasis in living animals. In vivo bioluminescence imaging is also used to evaluate tumor metabolism and cell biology in response to genetic manipulations, pharmacologic agents, and cancer chemotherapy drugs.

Equipment

Spectral Instruments Imaging AMI HT Bioluminescence Imaging System
The AMI HT is capable of imaging up to five animals at a time on a heated platform. It offers both bioluminescent and fluorescent capabilities as well as visual light images for overlay. The instrument requires no calibration and requires very little time to cool the camera prior to imaging. Images can be captured in under a minute, and the system utilizes a user-friendly license-free software so that data analysis can be completed in your lab.

Staff

Associate Director
Kris Helke, DVM, Ph.D.
Professor, Comparative Medicine
843-876-5202
helke@musc.edu

Core Coordinator
Rebecca Gregory
843-408-3445
gregoryr@musc.edu

Pricing

There is a charge of $40 per hour for use of the AMI HT system. Payment account information must be provided prior to training or utilization of the equipment.

Request AMI HT Training

Please contact Rebecca Gregory (gregoryr@musc.edu) to schedule training.

Schedule AMI HT Use

If you have already completed training, please use the form at the link below to schedule use of the AMI HT imaging system.

To check times that the AMI HT is available, view the IVIS-Small Animal Imaging shared calendar in Outlook. Use our Adding a Shared Calendar guide (PDF) for step-by-step instructions.

To cancel a previously scheduled time, forward the confirmation email you received to gregoryr@musc.edu. If you need to cancel less than four hours prior, contact the facility staff directly at 843-408-3445.

Schedule AMI HT Use

Fluorescence Imaging

Small animal fluorescence imaging provides state-of-the-art fluorescence imaging of small animals and can generate anatomical organ maps for co-localization. This allows for imaging of fluorescence-labeled cells (e.g. GFP expressing cancer cells), fluorescent drugs (e.g. anthracyclines), and other compounds tagged by fluorescent probes.

Equipment

PerkinElmer Maestro 2 In Vivo Fluorescence Imaging System
The Maestro 2 features a light-tight enclosure with access ports (e.g. for imaging during injection in catheterized animals), configurable imaging area, tunable multispectral camera, heated imaging chamber, and spectral unmixing at the following wavelengths:

  • Six excitation filters: 470 nm (blue) – 740 nm (near infrared)
  • 45 emission filters: 500 nm (green) – 950 nm (near infrared) in 10 nm increments

Staff

Associate Director
Kris Helke, DVM, Ph.D.
Professor, Comparative Medicine
843-876-5202
helke@musc.edu

Core Coordinator
Rebecca Gregory
843-408-3445
gregoryr@musc.edu

Pricing

There is a charge of $40 per hour for use of the AMI HT system. Payment account information must be provided prior to training or utilization of the equipment.

Schedule Maestro Use

Please use the form at the link below to request a time to use the Maestro imaging system. A training session is required for new users. Please select "I need training" if this will be your first time using the equipment.

To check times that the Maestro is available, view the Maestro-Small Animal Imaging shared calendar in Outlook. Use our Adding a Shared Calendar guide (PDF) for step-by-step instructions.

To cancel a previously scheduled time, forward the confirmation email you received to hccmaestroequipment@musc.edu. If you need to cancel less than four hours prior, contact the facility staff directly.

Schedule Maestro Use