# Small Animal Imaging and Radiotherapy Facility

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2024 · $39,393

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Operating within the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center (UWCCC), the Small Animal Imaging &
Radiotherapy Facility (SAIRF) provides innovative, state-of-the-art, affordable, noninvasive, high-resolution, in-
vivo and ex-vivo imaging and radiotherapy support to UWCCC members who utilize small animal models in their
research. SAIRF experts provide guidance to investigators ensuring the experimental design is best suited to
address their cancer questions. Incorporating positron emission/computed tomography (PET/CT), single photon
emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound/photoacoustics
(US/PA), digital planar X-ray, and/or optical bioluminescence/fluorescence/near-infrared (NIR) imaging
modalities, SAIRF affords access to all major small animal imaging modalities. Additionally, SAIRF provides
radiotherapy support, offering x-ray irradiators for cell, whole body, and CT-guided radiation therapy, and
dedicated equipment to assay radioactive tissues/blood for biodistribution, pharmacology, and toxicology
applications. Moreover, UWCCC members can select their desired level of service ranging from radiotherapy
delivery/image acquisition and reconstruction, to interpretation, analysis, and/or figure preparation. In most
cases, proprietary agents are developed and produced in-house with collaborators and when necessary,
commercial agents (Tc-99m MDP, Lu-177 Lutathera, Ra-223 dichloride, etc) are acquired for imaging and
radionuclide therapy studies. SAIRF holds umbrella animal use, biosafety, and radiation safety protocols, thus
assuring appropriate regulatory control of imaging and radiotherapy studies while minimizing the regulatory
burden on individual investigators. SAIRF supports the preclinical development of new imaging and theranostic
agents intended for clinical translation. One such agent, NM404, initiated here and underwent extensive
preclinical evaluation within SAIRF prior to translating to clinical trials. During the current CCSG funding cycle,
SAIRF has provided critical imaging support to 79 unique UWCCC members across all six UWCCC programs.
We continue to assess new imaging, radiotherapy and related technologies and, if suitable and relevant to the
membership, develop a plan to bring such new technologies into SAIRF. Our specific aims are to provide: 1)
UWCCC members seamless access and guidance to the most advanced small animal cancer imaging and
radiotherapy technologies available, and 2) infrastructure and expertise for the preclinical discovery and
development of new molecular imaging and theranostic cancer agents. Funding provided from the CCSG
permits consultation, strategic planning, training, regulatory and quality oversight in support of our mission to
serve the UWCCC membership at the highest level while minimizing costs. We expect that our role in
development and evaluation of new imaging and therapy agents, especially those being developed by our ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10873115
- **Project number:** 5P30CA014520-50
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMEY P WEICHERT
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $39,393
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-04-25 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10873115

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10873115, Small Animal Imaging and Radiotherapy Facility (5P30CA014520-50). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10873115. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*
