Abstract
Increasing scientific interest in the zebrafish as a model organism across a range of biomedical and biological research areas raises the need for the development of in vivo imaging tools appropriate to this subject. Development of the embryonic and early stage forms of the subject can currently be assessed using optical based techniques due to the transparent nature of the species at these early stages. However this is not an option during the juvenile and adult stages when the subjects become opaque. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques would allow for the longitudinal and non-invasive assessment of development and health in these later life stages. However, the small size of the zebrafish and its aquatic environment represent considerable challenges for the technique. We have developed a suitable flow cell system that incorporates a dedicated MRI imaging coil to solve these challenges. The system maintains and monitors a zebrafish during a scan and allows for it to be fully recovered. The imaging properties of this system compare well with those of other preclinical MRI coils used in rodent models. This enables the rapid acquisition of MRI data which are comparable in terms of quality and acquisition time. This would allow the many unique opportunities of the zebrafish as a model organism to be combined with the benefits of non-invasive MRI.
Highlights
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has rapidly emerged as an important model organism for scientific research across a variety of biological and biomedical fields [1,2,3]
The system is composed of a micro-solenoid radio frequency (RF) coil which is integrated into an animal handling system known as a flow cell
The signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the coil on the set of phantom images was determined by measuring the signal from the center of the phantom and dividing this by the standard deviation of a region of ‘noise’ outside of the phantom [22]
Summary
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has rapidly emerged as an important model organism for scientific research across a variety of biological and biomedical fields [1,2,3]. The zebrafish is an emerging model system, with many additional practical advantages over mammalian models. These include a short life cycle, simplicity of large-scale breeding and low maintenance costs. These make large scale studies far more timely and economic than is possible with other vertebrate models. The zebrafish has unique features of interest uncommon in most other vertebrate species, such as natural tissue regenerative capabilities. This combination has proven to be extremely attractive to a wide range of bio-scientists, ranging from evolutionary biology to regenerative medicine. The optical transparency of the zebrafish embryo has enabled its widespread use to study early development by serial in vivo imaging using standard microscopy techniques
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