BME.08 – A 3D Printed Mouse Transportation System for Mouse Brain MRI

• Sophie Askey
• Kristin Carter
• Derrick Joseph
• Angelica Kalafut
• Sebastian Soto-Lara

Preclinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies involving mice provide researchers with valuable opportunities to evaluate neurological diseases and drug efficacy. During the imaging process, mice are placed into a transportation system to reach a radio-frequency (RF) coil inside the MRI machine. These systems aid in the anesthetization and stabilization of the mice, and frequently incorporate the use of a bed, head restraint, incisor bite bar, and warm air system. However, these devices cannot be used universally for newly sized RF coils, as they fail to meet dimensional and functionality requirements. Therefore, a new system must be developed to allow researchers to easily access the mouse, maintain normal physiological conditions after anesthesia, and immobilize jerking to reduce motion artifacts. While mice are anesthetized, hypothermia becomes a concern as their body temperature drops closer to room temperature. This increases the likelihood of motion artifacts which arise from involuntary jerks. To achieve these criteria, our device must maintain the mouse’s temperature between 96.26-98.06० F during imaging and effectively restrain it to achieve a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) three times greater than without restraints. In order to address the design requirements, the novel device accommodates the small RF coil size and incorporates a bite bar and head stabilizer to reduce motion during imaging, a cone guide to align the device into coil, an anesthesia box, and a silicone water tubing system to warm the mouse. The device was tested to yield T1 and T2-weighted mouse-brain MRI images and SNR was measured in five regions of the brain to show results . These results will be used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the novel device and its ability to be utilized in future preclinical trials.