Single‐Photon Emission Computed Tomographic Imaging in Live Animals
Yusuke Yagi, Hidekazu Kawashima, Kenji Arimitsu, Koki Hasegawa, Hiroyuki Kimura · 2019
In preclinical research for drug discovery and novel therapeutic methods, in vivo imaging studies with small animals such as mice and rats are essential. This chapter describes a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) device for use with small animals and SPECT imaging in general for small animals. The device provides three separate preclinical benchtop imagers, the gamma-CUBE (SPECT), beta-CUBE (PET), and X-CUBE (CT), which enable in vivo multimodal whole-body imaging in rats and mice. The chapter briefly describes the characteristics of SPECT radionuclides and SPECT imaging probes. It also discusses the characteristics of radiolabeling, and the in vivo imaging of central nervous system diseases and cardiovascular diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, cerebral ischemia, atherosclerotic plaque, and myocardial ischemia.