BRFAA - Biomedical Research Foundation Academy Of Athens
Biomedical Research Foundation Academy Of AthensAcademy Of Athens

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INFRAFRONTIER-GR is the Greek Infrastructure for Phenotyping and Archiving of Model Mammalian Genomes that is connected to the corresponding European infrastructure. Non-invasive small animal imaging in the form of microPET/CT is a major component of this infrastructure and has the following benefits: a) information is obtained  in the context of the whole organism and is in a digitized form, allowing easier analysis and quantification (e.g., compared to histology), b) performance of longitudinal studies is feasible, c) as PET/CT imaging is already used for both clinical and research studies in humans, ready translation of developed preclinical protocols to the clinical arena is possible, d) reverse translation from clinical to preclinical level is also attainable by mimicking clinical cases in animal models and therefore refining clinical diagnosis, as well as investigating the biological pathways involved in disease development.  Within this context, the recently established microPET/CT facility at BRFAA covers a range of activities which include development and/or optimization of preclinical imaging strategies to enhance diagnostic capabilities, as well as studies to test the efficacy of highly promising interventions in animal models of disease.  The facility supports diverse translational research not solely in the field of cardiovascular medicine, but also in cancer, neurological, inflammatory and metabolic diseases. There is intense collaboration among researchers working in basic science, physicians scientists, imagers, radiochemists, physicists and computational scientists. The aim of this interdisciplinary collaboration is to create a distinctive training environment and provide an optimal network for conducting innovative translational science.