The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology is now equipped with a small animal in vivo imaging system, IVIS Imaging System 200 Series (Caliper Life Sciences, Inc.) through the Virginia Higher Education Equipment Trust Fund (HEETF) funding of FY07. This IVIS system is a real-time, in vivo optical molecular imaging system that non-invasively monitors and records cellular and genetic activity within a living organism.  This system has been extensively used in the research areas including cancer, drug metabolism, angiogenesis, diabetes, inflammation, ischemic heart disease, stroke, arteriosclerosis, etc..

Since this IVIS system was installed in March 2007, it was used to monitor the expression of exogenous genes locally transfected into rat kidneys using luciferase as a reporter gene. The system enables us to daily observe the relationship between gene expression and function changes in the same animal (see images on the right).
 
This laboratory is primarily in charge of the machine in terms of maintenance and use. Several other faculty members have also designed protocols and are about to use this system in their research projects. For example, the system was also used to monitor Luciferase and NADPH oxidase 4 expressions in brain PAG area in vivo (see images on the right).

This IVIS system is now available for interesting investigators to generate new results in monitoring in vivo expression and to develop new detection in various research fields. Please contact Dr. Li (pli@vcu.edu or 804-828-4793) for details.