New imaging equipment aids SIU cancer research

A research scientist at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a shared instrumentation grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A sharper image - Robert Helfert (right), associate professor of surgery and pharmacology, and Craig Whitworth, laboratory coordinator, evaluate data from the new bioluminescence imaging system at SIU School of Medicine.

The total grant award is $203,405.  This money is being used to purchase a bioluminescence imaging system (BLI) that will allow researchers to study the development, growth and spread of cancers, infections and other diseases.

The BLI consists of a highly sensitive camera that is located in a light-tight chamber and connected to a computer system.  The camera scans live, anesthetized rodents to detect cells or tissues that have been genetically tagged to emit light under various pathological conditions such as tumor formation, bacterial growth or tissue injury. 

"This equipment will fuel greater opportunities for research here at SIU, especially with the ongoing expansion of the research efforts of the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute,," said Linda Toth, associate dean for research and faculty affairs and professor of pharmacology.  "Using the BLI approach will enable our scientists to use far fewer animals to successfully study these complex diseases as compared to more conventional methods."

Robert Helfert, associate professor of surgery and pharmacology, is the principal investigator for the project.  He also directs SIU's Research Imaging Facility, which will oversee use of the BLI equipment.

Several SIU faculty members will use the equipment for their own NIH-sponsored research.  Co-investigators on the grant who are members of the cancer institute's research team are — Kounosuke Watabe and Subhas Chakrabarty, both professors of medical microbiology, immunology and cell biology; Yin-Yuan Mo, associate professor of medical microbiology, immunology and cell biology; and Dr. Deliang Cao, Daotai Nie, and Sophia Ran, all assistant professors of medical microbiology, immunology and cell biology.

Other co-investigators for the project are — Toth, Andrzej Bartke, professor of medicine and physiology, and Dr. Leonard P. Rybak, professor of surgery and pharmacology.