- IVIS LUMINA III (PerkinElmer): an in vivo imaging system that enables the detection and quantification of bioluminescence (BLI) and fluorescence signals in small rodents. The system is equipped with an anaesthesia unit and is suitable for various experimental applications, such as signal detection in cell lines expressing luciferase (or fluorescent proteins) or in transgenic animals with promoter-specific expression of luciferase (or fluorescence). Furthermore, the system enables the in vivo detection of specific probes conjugated with fluorophores for the analysis of vascularisation, hypoxia, apoptosis and other markers of biological activity.
- MSOT (iThera): A photoacoustic imaging instrument that enables the detection of specific signals within small rodents using low-frequency ultrasound with a resolution of approximately 150 µm. Photoacoustic technology uses a laser to detect the presence of molecules such as labelled fluorophores/probes (in the near-IR), oxyhaemoglobin and deoxyhaemoglobin, gold particles, ferritin and other biological and synthetic molecules. The instrument localises the signal by reconstructing the image derived from the ultrasound. As it operates at a low frequency, it also allows for the imaging of structures within the skull.