Service
The CAMRI Service Core Facility, housed within the Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC), provides cutting-edge small-animal MRI services to researchers at UNC and beyond. Our facility is equipped with two state-of-the-art Bruker Biospec 9.4T systems with 12 cm inner-gradient bore, funded by NIH high-end instrumentation grants S10OD026796, S10 MH124745, and S10RR019924. These systems deliver exceptional imaging sensitivity and speed, enabling high-quality anatomical, functional, and molecular MRI research. While we specialize in in vivo rodent studies, our services are also adaptable for various species and ex vivo specimens. Contact us today to learn more or to request a service.
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Bruker Biospec 9.4T/30-cm system
Technical Features
- Actively-shielded 9.4 T superconducting 30 cm wide-bore magnet
- Avance II console
- Copley 700 gradient power amplifier
- RRI MXH-6 shim power amplifier
- RRI BGF 150/90-S gradient insert with 9 cm ID, 734 mT/m gradient strength and 3670 T/m/s max slew rate
- Bruker BGA-20 gradient insert with 20 cm ID, 200 mT/m gradient strength and 640 T/m/s max slew rate
- Two BLA1000-I 15-400 MHz RF Power Amplifiers
- Custom-made MR-compatible animal cradles for rats and mice
- ParaVision 6 software package providing various MR sequences, reconstruction, analysis and visualization
Volume Coils
- 22, 35, 72, 86, and 150 mm quad-transceiver coils
- 1H/17O double-tuned volume coils
Surface Coils
- 4-channel receive-only phase array rat coil
- Quad-receive only mouse coil
- 1H/13C and 1H/31P double-tuned linear transceivers
- Custom-made rat (1.6–2.2 cm) and mouse (0.7–1 cm) transceiver surface coils
- Custom-made rat neck labeling coil for arterial spin labeling
- Custom-made mouse heart labeling coil for arterial spin labeling
- Custom-made active coil decoupling box for arterial spin labeling
Physiological Maintenance/Monitoring
- VetEquip isoflurane anesthesia system
- Surgivet v9004LF capnograph monitor/pulse oximeters
- CWE MRI-1 MR-compatible ventilator
- CWE MicroCapStar MR-compatible microcapnometer
- MouseOx Plus non-invasive vital signs monitor with MR-compatible sensors (heart rate, respiration rate, and oxygen saturation)
- SAII animal respiration and ECG monitoring and gating system
- SAII MR-compatible small rodent heater system
- Oakton multi-parameter temperature controller
- Thermo Scientific SC150-S13 heated feedback-controlled circulating bath
- Harvard Apparatus homeothermic blanket control
- Harvard Apparatus PHD 2000 Infusion pump
Bruker Biospec 9.4T/20-cm system
Technical Features
- Actively shielded superconducting 9.4 T magnet
- Bore diameter of 20 cm
- Homogeneity of 120 mm DSV: ± 10 ppm
- Magnet technology: Zero helium boil-off technology, nitrogen-free, Ultra Shielded and Refrigerated (USR) superconducting magnet for long hold-times, long maintenance intervals
- BGA-12SHP gradient providing 114 mm ID, 660 mT/m strength, 4570 T/m/s slew rate, and 6 channel shim coils
- IECO 300A/500V high power gradient amplifier
- Two 1H parallel transmit and receive RF channels
- ParaVision 360 software package for multi-dimensional MRI/MRS data acquisition, visualization, reconstruction, and analysis
- Over 100 validated and ready to use in vivo protocols and scan programs for mice and rats
- MRI sequence portfolio of more than 1,000 sequence variations, including wireless cardiac imaging using navigator based IntraGate methods with cartesian or radial readout, as well as short echo time imaging, such as UTE and ZTE
Volume Coils
- 15, 25, 35 and 86 mm quad-transceiver coils
Surface Coils
- 4-channel receive-only phase array rat brain coil
- Quad-receive only mouse brain coil
- Homemade rat (1.6–2.2 cm) and mouse (0.7–1 cm) transceiver surface coils
Arterial Spin Labeling
- Homemade rat neck labeling coil
- Homemade mouse heart labeling coil
Physiological Maintenance/Monitoring
- CWE MRI-1 MR-compatible ventilator
- CWE MicroCapStar MR-compatible microcapnometer
- SAII animal respiration, ECG, body temperature monitoring and gating system
- Heated feedback-controlled circulating bath: Fisher ISOTEMP 3016H
- Harvard Apparatus PHD ULTRA Infusion pump
Image Service
Rat Brain EPI fMRI
Mouse Brain 21-Direction DTI (ex vivo)
Mouse Embryo Gd-Stained MR microscopy (ex vivo)
Mouse Cardiac CINE
Mouse Abdomen Anatomical MRI
Acknowledge
Your acknowledgement is a measure of our service work and will help us leverage funding to continue our operation. Below please find our suggested language to include in your publications.
We thank the members at the UNC Center for Animal MRI (CAMRI) and Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC) for technical assistance, supported in part by NIH High-End Instrumentation Grant (S10OD026796 and S10 MH124745), Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies (P60 AA011605), Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (P30 CA016086), and Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (P50 HD103573).