The platform offers its expertise to researchers for the selection of the most appropriate small animal imaging method for a given project, as well as a service for developing the associated imaging procedures.

• Choice of the most appropriate imaging method (MRI, CT/CT, ultrasound, fluorescence/luminescence, positron emission tomography);

• Development of image acquisition protocols appropriate to each type of imaging and experimental procedures;

• Standardized experimental protocols, approved by the Laval University animal facilities service;

• Housing animals for longitudinal protocols;

• Service for the preparation of contrast agents, cell labeling, intravenous injection in-situ (cannulation and injection) 

• Support for analysis and interpretation of results;

• Assistance in writing manuscripts.

The development of more specific imaging protocols can be carried out on request.

​

All procedures are performed in accordance with the guidelines of the  Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) . Each project carried out within the platform must be approved beforehand by the ethics committee in animal experimentation of the research center of the CHU de Québec.

​

Users must mention, in their publications, the use of the services of the platform in the acknowledgments. The name of each member of the platform substantially involved in a project (excluding routine experiments), must appear as co-author in scientific publications.

​

Tariff 1  : Academic Université Laval $52/h-research professional + $125/h equipment (MRI, CT, PET)

Rate 2: Academic outside Laval University $52/h-research professional + $200/h equipment (MRI, CT, PET)

Rate 3: Industrial/Institutional non-academic $150/h-research professional + $325/h equipment (MRI, CT, PET)

The development of each new procedure includes up to 3 hours of meeting and preparation time (not billed).

A quote is then developed and submitted to the client, detailing an amount per animal or per image acquisition procedure.

A preliminary experiment could be necessary, because it would allow to better determine the needs or the possibilities of the apparatus according to a precise request.