Oncology Precision Therapeutics and Imaging Core (HICCC)

The Oncology Precision Therapeutics and Imaging Core (OPTIC), managed by the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, assists investigators in imaging-based studies. OPTIC is the result of the incorporation of precision therapeutic capabilities into a previously established Small Animal Imaging Shared Resource, with the purpose of providing fully integrated and comprehensive services in translational oncology for the Columbia researchers. The goal of OPTIC is to provide access to a broad range of in vivo imaging technologies including molecular imaging technologies such as optical imaging, quantitative physiologic imaging with ultrasound, and anatomic imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Olive, the staff provides expertise in planning, executing and analyzing in vivo imaging studies. The mission of OPTIC also dovetails with a campus-wide initiative in personalized oncology.  OPTIC is located in Room 1104AD of the Irving Cancer Research Center (1130 St. Nicolas Ave.).

An MRI suite was specifically built to house the Brucker 94/20 Magnetic Resonance Imager magnet and is actively shielded from stray radio frequencies to allow for more precise imaging and a higher signal-to-noise ratio. It uses a state-of-the-art integrated, laser-guided rail system with water warmed exam beds to allow for homothermic continuity throughout the exam process. The Bruker BioSpec 9.4 Tesla MR has the ability to perform a multitude of types of magnetic resonance imaging. The shared resources are located in the vivarium in the ICRC building. OPTIC has three image analysis workstations with multiple high-end computer workstations that have all the necessary analysis and evaluation software.

Equipment

Small Animal Imaging

  • Perkin-Elmer IVIS Spectrum Optical Imaging System (2)
  • Perkin-Elmer Quantum FX micro CT
  • Bruker BioSpec 94/20 9.4 Tesla MRI
  • VisualSonics Vevo 3100 High Resolution Ultrasound
  • Analysis Workstations (4)- Dell Precision T1650
  • Surgical Suite and Anesthesia Instruments
     

The Oncology Precision Therapeutics and Imaging Core(OPTIC) is located within the Irving Cancer Research Center (ICRC) building at 1130 Saint Nicholas Avenue. The OPTIC office and imaging analysis workstations are located on the second floor in rooms 216A and 200ST2, respectively. The imaging instruments are located in three rooms within the ICRC 11thfloor barrier animal facility. Room 1104ABA houses the PerkinElmer IVIS Spectrum optical imaging system, 1104ACB houses the PerkinElmer Quantum micro-CT, and 1104AD houses the VisualSonics Vevo 3100 High Resolution Ultrasound. In addition, the antechamber to 1104ACB (1104AC) serves as a staging area for imaging experiments. On the 10thfloor, the Bruker Biospin 9.4 Tesla high field, small bore magnetic resonance imaging system is located in 1015E, and an additional PerkinElmer IVIS Spectrum is located in the biological safety level 2 suites in room 1016E. Finally, a surgical procedure room is solely dedicated for use by OPTIC in room 1104ACA.

The Small Animal Imagingservices include instrument access, support, and education for four different imaging technologies. Critically, all of the imaging instruments are located within the ICRC barrier mouse facility, enabling direct access of mouse tumor models housed at this facility. Permanent animal holding space has been allocated to OPTIC, making it possible for any CUIMC laboratory to make use of small animal imaging services through a transfer process mediated by the Institute of Comparative Medicine, regardless of the location of their animal colony.

The IVIS Spectrum is a state-of-the art instrument for whole animal fluorescence and luminescence imaging. This enables sensitive in vivodetection and quantification of optical signals from engineered reporter alleles engineered into whole animals or in implanted tumor cells. One of the two IVIS Spectrum instruments is located within an ABSL3 animal facility to support applications with mice infected with experimental pathogens or otherwise placed under quarantine. Spectral deconvolution that accounts for absorption of photons by tissues enables a pseudo-3D imaging technique that may also be combined with micro CT datasets acquired on the Quantum FX instrument, via an automated software process in Living Image 3.

The Perkin-Elmer Quantum FX micro CT incorporates highly sensitivity X-ray detector in order to enable low-dose longitudinal X-ray computed tomography imaging. Alternatively, at longer acquisition times, this instrument enables extremely high-resolution imaging (10μm voxel) imaging, primarily of bone and airways. OPTIC has developed a series of functional applications including bone, fat, and lean-mass quantification, fibrosis imaging, and utilization of a variety of contrast agents, particularly Exitron 6000 (Miltenyi Biosciences) for longitudinal imaging of liver metastases.

The upgraded VisualSonics Vevo 3100 High Resolution Ultrasound conducts experiments similar to the 2100, however a new all-touch screen monitor and easy to use ultrasound wand make using this system much easier than the older model. Investigators will be able to conduct studies of the pancreas, stomach, esophagus, prostate, bladder, kidney, liver, and eye, as well as longitudinal imaging of transplanted tumors such as xenografts and allografts (both ectopic and orthotopic). In addition, contrast agents such as microbubbles can be used for functional imaging applications. Non-targeted microbubbles are an excellent measure of tissue perfusion while targeted microbubbles (conjugated with antibodies) enable the quantitative measurement of antigens expressed on the luminal surface of blood vessels. Additional functional ultrasound modes include Doppler ultrasound and cardiac mode, which enable studies of blood flow and cardiac function respectively _–drug toxicity studies, tumor induced cachexia–. Finally, an image-guided injection mount enables image-guided delivery agents into specific tissues. 

The Bruker BioSpec 94/20 9.4 Tesla MRI new high field, small bore MR instrument was installed in 2016 and represents a major (>$5 million) investment in this shared resource by the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and CUIMC. This powerful instrument is capable of both high-resolution anatomical imaging and a diverse range of functional imaging applications. This instrument uses advanced functional imaging applications, such as: contrast MRI, diffusion weighted imaging, and spectral imaging. The MRI is overseen by Dr. Yanping Sun, PhD, an MRI physicist with two decades of experience running both research and clinical MR instruments and designing research imaging protocols. Dr. Sun has developed and implemented sequences for T1 and T2 weighted imaging (for anatomical imaging), dynamic contrast enhanced imaging (DCE-MRI) for the measurement of diffusion + perfusion, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) for measuring short-range diffusion, functional MRI (fMRI) for the analysis of blood flow and CNS activity, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for analysis of cardiac function, structure, and blood flow, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), a sophisticated technique that enables the measurement of various high–abundance metabolites in the tissues of living animals over time. The acquisition and launch of the high field MRI has transformed the focus of our imaging service from primarily anatomical applications to ever more sophisticated functional measurements that reveal the underlying biology of mouse tumors.

Standards, Rigor, and Reproducibility

Quality control procedures recommended by the instrument manufacturer are in place to ensure proper instrument operation. To ensure rigor and reproducibility, all analytical services include standard operating protocols and are routinely validated using technical replicas.