Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Service in Animal Models of Stroke

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses a magnetic field and radiofrequency waves to produce highly detailed images, is a technique with non-invasive and non-destructive characteristics that allows for the study of living cells and tissues, as well as detailed analysis of solutions and body fluids. With the popularity of magnets with high magnetic field levels, animal-specific MRI has become a powerful tool for studying the brains of living animals. MRI has great potential for studying the mechanisms of brain injury in animal models of cerebral ischemia, for staging the progression of the injury, and for developing therapeutic interventions related to this disease.

Fig. 1. Combination of SEPs and functional MRI during electrical forepaw stimulation in the adult rat after cortical lesion induced at day 1 after birth. (Hoehn et al., 2001)

Our Services

At Ace Therapeutics, we offer MRI services tailored to animal models of stroke for non-invasive and longitudinal monitoring of key events in the ischemic cascade, from the hyperacute to the chronic phase. Our MRI experiments performed by experienced professionals with specialized knowledge. We provide high-quality MRI-clear images can help clients study stroke from a variety of perspectives, ranging from subcellular to systems biology levels.

We offer different MRI methods to study the onset, evolution, and consequences of stroke. We use specific imaging modalities at different stages of disease progression to ensure reliable data.

Structural MRI

Our structural MRI is used to study shape, volume, integrity and developmental changes in brain tissue, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in animal models of stroke.

We also offer high-resolution T2-weighted imaging, which provides excellent tissue contrast and enables assessment of brain tissue damage after stroke.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and chemical shift imaging (CSI)

We use MRS or CSI for non-invasive tracking to measure the levels of key metabolites in the brain, such as glutamate, and how they change during the disease or in response to treatment.

Diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI)

We use DW-MRI techniques to characterize lesion volume, cytotoxicity, angioedema formation, changes in cerebral blood flow and infarct size, structural changes in gray and white matter, and acquisition of vascular structure and status in animal models of stroke.

Perfusion-weighted MRI (PW-MRI)

We use dynamic magnetization contrast (DSC) and arterial spin labeling (ASL) techniques for the measurement of cerebral perfusion status in models of permanent and transient ischemia, allowing for combined time-course assessment of tissue perfusion, morphological features, metabolism, and function.

Applications of Our Services

Our magnetic resonance imaging services allow us to assist clients in:

• Studying the integrity of the blood-brain barrier during a stroke.
• Monitoring the temporal evolution of physiological changes in ischemic tissues with or without thrombolysis and predict treatment effects.
• Studying the mechanisms of brain damage in stroke and stage the progression of injury.
• Developing therapeutics for stroke. 

Our Advantages

• We perform MRI in vivo imaging of small animals according to customer requirements and provide customer with high-resolution images.
• Our animal MRI in vivo imaging tracks the movement and changes in the same target of observation by recording the same group of subjects at different points in time, resulting in more realistic and reliable data.
• We provide various MRI methods (T1-weighted, T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, angiography, etc.) according to the needs to meet your scientific research and experimental requirements.

Ace Therapeutics's MRI provides a comprehensive assessment of stroke-related parameters, including infarct volume, perfusion status, tissue integrity, functional deficits, etc. We aim to accelerate your stroke research. If you are interested in our services, please do not hesitate to contact us!

1. Hoehn, M., et al. (2001). Application of magnetic resonance to animal models of cerebral ischemia. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging: An Official Journal of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 14(5), 491-509.