4D Digital Mouse Whole Body (MOBY) Phantom

C04403: 4D Digital Mouse Whole Body (MOBY) Phantom

Novelty:

The 4D digital mouse whole body (MOBY) phantom is a realistic and flexible model of the mouse anatomy and cardiac and respiratory motions for use in molecular imaging research.

Value Proposition:

Currently, there is a lack of realistic computer generated phantoms modeling the mouse anatomy and physiological functions for use in molecular imaging research. With the rise of small animal imaging, new instrumentation, data acquisition strategies, and image processing and reconstruction techniques are being developed and researched. One method from which to evaluate and improve medical imaging devices and image processing techniques is through the use of simulation studies. An important aspect of simulation is to have a realistic phantom or model of the subject’s anatomy. The advantage in using such phantoms in simulation studies is that the exact anatomy and physiological functions are known, thus providing a gold standard or “truth” from which to evaluate and improve imaging devices, data acquisition techniques and image processing and reconstruction methods. The advantages of the current invention include:

Technical Details:

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a realistic and animated mouse phantom. The organ shapes are modeled with non-uniform rational b-spline (NURBS) surfaces. High-resolution 3D magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) data was used as the basis for the formation of the surfaces. Because it is based upon actual imaging data and the inherent flexibility of the NURBS primitives, the phantom models organ shapes realistically while maintaining the flexibility to model anatomical variations and involuntary motions such as cardiac and respiratory motions. These motions were modeled using a gated black-blood magnetic resonance imaging (bb-MRI) dataset of a normal mouse as the basis for the cardiac model, and respiratory-gated MRI and known respiratory mechanics as the basis for the respiratory model. The MOBY phantom provides a unique and useful tool in molecular imaging research, especially in the development of new imaging instrumentation, image acquisition strategies, and image processing and reconstruction methods.

Looking for Partners:

To develop and commercialize the technology as a realistic, flexible mouse phantom.

Stage of Development:

Pre-Clinical

Data Availability:

Under CDA/NDA

Publications/Associated Cases:

Development of a 4D Digital Mouse Phantom for Molecular Imaging Research. Molecular Imaging and Biology