This project has several components. 

With respect to cellular and molecular imaging, plans are focused on acquisition of a third cryo-EM unit, to join two existing units.  These resources provide state-of-heart molecular imaging to UMass Chan investigators, outside academic investigators, and industry.  The Electron Microscopy Core Facility is adding an additional transmission electron microscope, with funding from the NIH.  We are advocating for acquisition of additional capabilities in cellular microscopy, likely to be part of the SCOPE core facility.

A major thrust of the neuroimaging project is to acquire imaging technology that will enable additional lines of research for UMass Chan investigators and attract corporate users, facilitating their research and product development.  An additional Angiography suite for device development and training of interventional radiologists and a 7T MRI for small rodent and tissue sample imaging have recently been installed, and we are working toward additional PET/CT and SPECT capabilities. These resources will supplement currently available core facilities, which include a 3T research MRI and an angiography suite.

Much of the interest in neuroimaging capabilities relates to tracking disease course and treatment efficacy in animal models of disease, especially for nucleic acid and gene therapy trials.  As this work ‘scales up’ from rodents to larger animals (as needed to assess distribution of compounds in a larger brain), the animal facility infrastructure needs to evolve as well.  Included in the plans for the NeuroNexus Imaging Core facility is an increase in the capacity for housing large animals on campus for longer periods of time, which will require significant renovation of existing animal facilities.