Functions

Functions

The Biomedical NMR Facility has NMR and PET scanners to provide preclinical images in small animals and objects and spectra, widely used in metabolomic studies with biomedicine applications.

MRI is a non-invasive, high resolution, high contrast imaging technique that provides structural, anatomical, functional and molecular information. It is highly aplicable in the study of soft tissues (central nervous system, musculoskeletal system, cardiac imaging…), as well as in the study of food and materials.

PET/MRI scanner combines the high sensitivity of PET technology with the high resolution of MRI, allowing the visualisation and quantification of radiopharmaceutical uptake and the study of its pharmacokinetics. Furthemore, these studies can be performed at both high field (7T) and clinical field (3T) strengths.

EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE AND TECHNIQUES USED IN EACH ONE:

• Bruker Biospec 70/16 7T scanner
• Avance Neo 11.7T Bruker scanner
• MR Solution PET/MRI hybrid Scanner

Bruker Biospec 70/16 7T scanner:

• Anatomical images: T₁, T₂ o T_2*, DP and magnetization transfer weighted images, with gradient echo or spin echo sequences.
• Relaxometry and magnetization transfer maps (processing included)
• Cardiac Imaging
•  Angiography
• Localized spectroscopy in vivo and and ¹H spectroscopy imaging.
• Diffusion weighted imaging and processing to obtain mean diffusivity (MD), anisotropic fraction (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity  (RD) maps…
• Perfusion weighted imaging (by T_2* o T₁) and processing to obtain hemodynamic maps ( cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral volume Flow (CBV), mean transit time (MTT) or permeability).

Bruker  Avance Neo 11,7T scanner with 3 radiofrequency and deuterium channels, with different probes for obtaining spectra of different nuclei from in vitro or ex vivo samples:

• HRMAS probe (¹H, ¹³C y ³¹P) for analyzing semisolid samples with biomedical applications ( tissue samples), materials science and food science. This probe allows tissue spectra to be acquired without any prior physical or chemical manipulation.
• Bruker´s triple resonase probe 3mm sample diameter (TXI) is focus to analyze small volumen of sample in disolution (300ul) to obtain ¹H and ¹³C spectra
• TXO probe (5mm) with four channels (¹³C, ¹H, ¹⁹F y ²H), for análisis of samples in solution (500ul).
• Broadband probe BBI is. used for experiments with a variety of nuclei.

MR Solutions PET/MRI hybrid scanner with variable field technology (3T or 7T)

• Dynamic or static PET image
• Anatomical images: T₁, T₂ o T_2*, DP and magnetization transfer weighted images, with gradient echo or spin echo sequences.
• Cardiac imaging
• Angiography
• ¹H localized spectroscopy in vivo.
• Diffusion weighted imaging and processing to obtain mean diffusivity (MD), anisotropic fraction (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity  (RD) maps…
• Perfusion weighted imaging (by T_2* o T₁) and processing to obtain hemodynamic maps ( cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral volume Flow (CBV), mean transit time (MTT) or permeability.

Samples that can be studied in the Biomedical MR Sebastián Cerdán Facility:

• Research animals: rats, mice, guinea pigs, fish… the only requirement is a diameter of less than 60mm.
• Cell and tissue cultures
• Food
• Samples in solution
• Semisolid samples: tissue biopsies, blood, urine, or any other metabolic fluid.

Price List

Date of last update 01/03/2024