Overview
Mission
Research overview
Roles
The Center
Research Resources
Research Project Abstracts
Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR) consists of about 7000 sq. ft. of office, class room and laboratory space located in the Center for Advanced Medical Technologies (CAMT) at Arapeen Drive in Research Park.
NON-CLINICAL FACILITIES
Laboratory
The lab contains an electronics shop fully equipped with oscilloscopes, signal generators, and other essential test and measurement equipment with bench space plus a variety of equipment for electronic fabrication and testing, a small machine shop, and wet-lab space with fume hood in addition to a full stock of electronic parts, manuals, and data books. UCAIR also has a coil lab, equipped with an HP 8752A network analyzer, an HP 4193A vector impedance meter, and a full size test bore/RF shield to simulate the MRI electrical environment. The School of Medicine machine shop is located in the CAMT building and is fully equipped and available for major machining projects. There is approximately 200 sq. ft. of preparation area adjacent to the human imaging magnets.
Computer Resources
The UCAIR computing systems include one Sun Enterprise 450 (2-400MHz CPUs, 2GB RAM) with over 360 GB of RAID disk storage, one ULTRAEnterprise 450 (1GB RAM, 4-300MHz UltraSPARC processors), one Sun Enterprise 250 (2-400MHz CPUs, 2GB RAM), one Sun Enterprise 250 (2-400MHz CPUs, 1GB RAM), one ULTRA 60 (1.5GB RAM), one ULTRA 80 (2GB RAM), one NETRA T1 (1-450MHz CPU, 1GB RAM), one dual Athalon (1.96Ghz, 2GB RAM) with 1.8 TB of RAID disk storage 14 ULTRA5s (1-333-360MHz, 128-750 MB RAM), 20 Sunray Network appliances, one SPARCcenter 2000 (1GB RAM, 4-90 MHz SuperSPARC processors), one ULTRAEnterprise 3000 (1GB RAM, 4-250MHz UltraSPARC processors), one SPARCcenter 1000 (128 MB RAM, 2-40MHz SuperSPARC processors), five SUN Ultra 143's, one SUN Ultra 170, one 6-node MPI Linux cluster, and numerous MAC's and PC's. The file servers currently contain more than 1 TB of storage. All computers are connected via local-area networks and to the INTERNET for international electronic communication, and are managed and monitored by a systems administrator for security and data networking. Linux and SUN workstations, computer terminals, PCs and MacIntosh computers are available throughout the lab.
Office
Office space for all faculty, secretarial, and professional staff is provided in areas immediately contiguous to the imaging laboratory. The CAMT facility represents a substantial increase in available work space which accommodates current and new staff. Additionally, the new space unifies the UCAIR labs, offices, and resources into one location with the exception of some administrative space and shared facilities.
Major Equipment
Two fully equipped Siemens Trio 3.0T MRI scanners (see below, 2nd installed in July, 2006). Two 1.5 Tesla Siemens Avanto MRI scanners equipped with multi-coil capabilities. One 1.5 Tesla Siemens Espree MRI scanner (wide bore and short design) equipped with multi-coil. One 1.5 Tesla Philips Eclipse MRI scanner. Two Siemens Sensation 64 multidetector CT scanners. One Siemens Sensation 16 multidetector CT scanner. GE PETtrace cyclotron with Negative ion accelerator (Huntsman Cancer Foundation) One GE Advance high-resolution BGO PET scanner (Huntsman Cancer Institute) One Siemens Biograph 16 PET/CT scanner (at Huntsman Cancer Center Hospital). One StorageTek 9730 20 slot tape library - two DLT 7000 drives, 1T of storage. One ADIC Scaler 220 20 slot tape library - two Sony SDX-500 Alt-2 drives, 1T of storage. Campus SONET ATM [OC48 (2.4 Gigabit) expandable to OC192 (10 Gigabit)] network to the Center for High Performance Computing (CHPC) with access to SGI Origin 2000 with 60 Processors, SGI Power Challenge XL with 8 processors, tightly coupled cluster of 16 IBM RS/6000 Model 560 workstations, SGI SUN ULTRAEnterprise 10000, IBM SP 64 Processors. Storage Tek 9710 Tape Jukebox with six DLT7000 tape drives, 430 GB Clarion RAID Digital Image Data Storage System (20 TB tape jukebox), running Veritas HSM data migration software. Wolf Creek 1000 slot tape library with 10 stk 9840 drives running LSCI SamFS for PACS. One Hewlett Packard 8752A Network Analyzer. HP Color LaserJet, Polaroid CI5000 Slide Imager, Polaroid Dye-Sublimation color printer (all interfaced to the SUNs via ethernet).
CLINICAL FACILITIES
The Department of Radiology occupies approximately 20,000 sq. ft. in the University of Utah Health Sciences Center and about 4,000 sq. ft. in the Center for Advanced Medical Technologies. The clinical resources include One Siemens Trio 3T MRI scanner (the second Siemens Trio 3T MRI scanner to be installed in July, 2006 is designated research only), 2 Siemens Avanto (18 and 32 channel) 1.5 Tesla MRI scanners, 1 Siemens Espree 1.5T MRI scanner, 1 Philips Eclipse 1.5 Tesla Scanner, 1 high resolution digital GE Advantx angiography laboratory, 1 Siemens 16-slice Sensation 16 CT scanner, 1 Siemens 10-slice Sensation 10 CT scanner, Philips SPECT cameras: 1 PRISM 2000XP two-detector SPECT, 1 PRISM 3000XP three-detector SPECT, 1 PRISM 2000 SPECT 1 IRIX three-detector SPECT with coincidence, 1 Philips scintillation camera. The Nuclear Medicine images are analyzed with attached Odyssey VP, or Odyssey FX computers. All MRI, CT, Nuclear Medicine, and X-ray imagers are directly connected to the lab computer network backbone (ATM); images from all devices can be easily transferred between groups. MRI scanners are equipped with multiple receiver coils and have the maximum memory available from Siemens. The University of Utah Department of Radiology is composed of 12 radiographic rooms for routine radiographic/fluoroscopic procedures. Also available are Special Procedure rooms for conventional, interventional and digital angiography. CAMT is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility operated by the University of Utah Department of Radiology. It is located in Research Park adjacent to the University of Utah approximately 1 mile from the Health Sciences Center.
The 3T Clinical MR scanner
The CAMT building houses both Siemens Trio 3T MR scanners. Both scanners have actively shielded water cooled high performance gradient system (45 mT/m amplitude, 200 T/m/s slew rate), 32 high speed RF receiver channels and RF body coil, head coil and several coils of variable numbers
of elements designed for specific body parts. Custom coils for unique geometries have been designed and fabricated in the coil development lab (above). These systems are also equipped with pulse sequences and appropriate software for spectroscopy, functional MRI, diffusion tensor MRI and other high end imaging capabilities. A user friendly yet highly flexible pulse sequence development platform is also included to allow research and development in novel techniques.
fMRI data acquisition : Each 3T Trio MR scanner is housed in an RF-shielded room especially designed for fMRI. This scanner room was designed with a special 42 plasma technology screen, which replaces the standard RF-screened window, and displays the output of fMRI-compatible video cameras mounted within the room for observation of patients. The cameras are mounted in RF-shielded housings with fiber-optic transmission lines for video output to the plasma screen and with power line filtering. These and other features reduce the RF noise within the scanner room and improve the SNR for fMRI data acquisition significantly. The 3T facility includes a stimulus-presentation computer with E-PRIME and MatLab software, for design and presentation of stimuli to subjects in the 3T scanner. The fMRI Stimulus-Presenting PC controls the presentation of stimuli according to a pre-planned paradigm, records patient responses from button box or eye-tracker, and records the temporal relation between stimuli, responses, and acquired raw fMRI brain images. The scanner room contains high-quality audio-visual stimulus-presenting equipment: fMRI visual stimulus projection system with a video projector with high-resolution LCD screen, custom-designed lens with adjustable zoom for easy image focus and alignment; rear-projection screen; VGA coupler for simultaneous video display to subject and operator; magnet-compatible stereophonic audio system with ear-bud headset, noise reduction cups & break-in microphone for presentation of audio signals and communication between subject and operator. An MR-compatible, fast-response button box with 4 switches and fiber-optic interface and an infra-red eye-tracking system are provided for transmitting subject responses from within the scanner room to stimulus-presenting computer, without generating electromagnetic noise that can degrade the weak MRI signals that form the raw brain image data.
fMRI data processing and storage : The fMRI Data System, housed in UCAIR at CAMT, has a very fast computer for fMRI post-processing tasks and a RAID data storage system which can make the fMRI data of an entire experimental cohort available for on-line statistical analysis. In addition, UCAIR offers services such as the de-identification of fMRI data to comply with HIPAA rules for confidentiality of human subject information. fMRI magnet simulator : The Magnet Simulator is installed in a separate room at CAMT, and allows investigators to acquaint the subject with the experimental setup, to acclimate subjects to the magnet environment, including the feel and noise of being in the magnet, to verify that subjects can visualize/hear the stimuli, and to train them on the tasks they will be asked to perform. The room has a realistic simulated scanner, with a standard magnet faceplate and headcoil, a bore fabricated from a fiberglass tube, and a simple patient table that rolls into the bore. The room is equipped with a stimulus-presentation computer, software, and visual stimulus presentation system consisting of an LCD screen and video splitter (for simultaneous viewing by subject and operator). The stimulus presentation and response systems appear and feel identical to those used in the actual fMRI scans. The stereo system recreates the magnet sounds, and a subwoofer mounted under the patient table delivers the vibration that occurs during imaging. This allows investigators to acclimate sensitive subjects - such as children or autistic subjects - to the experimental environment, and to identify those subject who are unable to perform in this environment (because of claustrophobia, excess motion, etc.), without using up expensive scanner time. Since the Simulator stimulus presentation computer is a duplicate of the one at the 3T scanner, it can also be used to set up and trouble-shoot fMRI paradigms and subject protocols, and for training investigators in fMRI techniques.
PET Cyclotron Radiochemistry Laboratory of the Huntsman Cancer Institute
The Cyclotron Radiochemistry Laboratory is 3,850 square feet and includes offices, clean storage, research laboratory, two quality control laboratories, synthesis lab, class 10,000 clean room, shipping room, electronics room, tank room and cyclotron room. The lab became operational in November 2002. The GE PETTrace Cyclotron is a negative ion accelerator; 16.5 Mev protons at 70 µA; dual target simultaneous irradiation; proton or deuteron particles. There are six target configuration: F- high yield targets (2, each capable of generating 3 Ci in 60 min, simultaneously), F2 target, O-15 target, N-13 target, C-11 target in a self-shielded configuration. Radiochemistry laboratory equipment : Exhaust Vent Radioactivity Detection System; Gas Chromatograph System; MCA System; Bioscan MiniScan TLC System; 2 CRC-15-PET single well dose calibrators + printer; CAPRAC Well/Wipe Counter + printer; Minor Emergency Spill Kit; Dose Drawing Station; Shielded Laminar Flow Hood for Dispensing; Two fume hoods (4 foot and 6 foot), four L-block radiation shields with 8 x 8 x 4" lead glass; Ludlum Radiation Monitoring Equipment (4); Lead bricks and shielding; two Nuclear Interface Dual FDG Synthesizer Systems with Process Control Units; 2 dual mini-cells; Misc Lab equipment: refrigerator/freezer, pyrogen oven, heater block, incubator and glassware. Dedicated research equipment: 400 sq. ft. research radiochemistry laboratory, large 44 X 44 inch research hot cell complete with negative pressure air handling, shielded dose calibrator dropout, and dose delivery dropout drawer, mini-hot cell for 15 O-water and 13 N-ammonia synthesis modules, and dedicated research fume hood. Commercial 15 O-water and 13 N-ammonia synthesis modules are up and running for research purposes, and a custom-built 11 C-acetate synthesis module has been constructed. Additional radiochemistry research equipment includes analytical HPLC with radio and UV detectors, miscellaneous QC equipment, lead bricks, and a radiochemistry development lab with tubing, glassware, connectors, pipettes, valves, vials, electronics, etc...
PET Imaging facility of the Huntsman Cancer Institute
GE Advance high-resolution BGO PETscanner : The scanner, installed in Fall 2000, can perform imaging in both 2D and 3D acquisition modes for both clinical and research procedures. The scanner has 12,096 BGO crystals and achieves 4.25mm slice resolution with a maximum scan length of 1589 mm. Transmission imaging for attenuation correction is performed using two 10 mCi Germanium-68 rod sources. Images may be quantitated using image conversion to Standard Uptake Values (SUV). Through a research agreement with GEMS we have complete access to all raw data, calibrations, and normalizations on this system, permitting complete research reconstruction and analysis.A Siemens fully-3D Biograph LSO PET/CT scanner with 16 slice CT was installed in February 2004. The LSO crystal technology allows very fast imaging at high count-rates, permitting very fast whole-body imaging and high quality imaging of short-lived radiotracers. Through a research agreement with Siemens Medical Systems, we will have complete access to the raw data, including list-mode data access, for research purposes on this system. This scanner will be installed in the Huntsman Cancer Research Hospital imaging facility. SPECT and Nuclear Medicine
Equipment includes IRIX 3-head gamma-camera with coincidence-detection electronics, and includes all collimators (such as custom research variable-focal length fan-slat collimators etc). Huntsman Cancer Hospital Equipment (also included above) Siemens Biograph 16 PET/CT Siemens 1.5T Avanto MRI Siemens Sensation 16 CT Siemens Artis MP multi-purpose angiographic system Siemens E-Cam gamma camera Siemens Sirescop SD R&F system Siemens Novation digital mammography Siemens Acuson Sequoia ultrasound Hologic bone densitometer