Synopsis on using MILabs imaging platform for COVID-19 and other respiratory research with ferrets

Synopsis on using MILabs imaging platform for COVID-19 and other respiratory research with ferrets

Ferrets have emerged as an indispensable model for the study of respiratory diseases. Although no small mammal model can fully emulate human lung pathobiology, ferrets and humans possess many closely aligned respiratory tissues, more so than other available animal models, such as mice or guinea pigs. It is therefore not surprising to see that ferrets are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, as described in a pre-proof manuscript from the journal Cell Host & Microbe (Kim et al., March 30. 2020) (1). They concluded that:

Ferrets were experimentally infected and developed fever, lethargy and cough.
Ferrets in direct contact with infected ferrets got sick too.
Ferrets in adjacent cages got infected (i.e. virus was passed to them) but they didn’t show symptoms.

With the current rapid spreading characteristics of SASRS-CoV-2 in humans, there is an urgency to develop and evaluate antiviral therapies and preventive vaccines. The ferret model may represent a very useful tool to accomplish this (2).

Using MILABS scalable multimodality imaging for COVID-19 research, from mice to ferrets

According to researchers in Wuhan-China, Leiden – the Netherlands (3) and Rome-Italy (4), chest CT imaging has a high sensitivity for the diagnosis of COVID-19 cases with pulmonary abnormalities. With many still scrambling to find the right animals for coronavirus studies, MILabs X-ray CT system can provide non-invasively highly detailed images of the lungs for a wide range of animals – from mice to ferrets – at ultra-high resolution. The following applications illustrate that U-CT is able to analyze what is happening at the site of infection, whether it is in a transgenic COVID-19 mouse model or a ferret, infected with SARS-CoV-2, and compare results.

Virtual Bronchoscopy: Imaging of what’s happening at the site of a ferret’s viral lung infection

Whether integrated or as a standalone unit, MILabs U-CT comes with outstanding capabilities. It enables fast acquisitions at the lowest possible radiation dose and delivers exceptional in-vivo image clarity. With dual-energy scans operating at different kV levels, the images combine tissue information with disease morphology, improving image quality for a wide range of animal sizes including mice, guinea pigs, and ferrets.
As illustrated, the system can produce detailed lung images and enables detailed virtual bronchoscopy analysis of lung infection sites.

U-CT imaging of Mucociliary Physiology in a Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis Ferret.

The University of Alabama Birmingham developing a novel pulmonary fibrosis ferret model to evaluate mucociliary physiology in pulmonary fibrosis. Unlike rodent models, ferret airways contain submucosal glands, the major source of the MUC5B gene in humans – the genetic basis of pulmonary fibrosis.
To evaluate their model, they used microCT imaging of bleomycin treatment-induced pulmonary fibrosis in ferrets, with inflammation, fibrotic lesions, and remodeling changes analogous to pulmonary fibrosis in humans. μCT scans demonstrated evidence of patchy airway-centric and peripheral ground-glass opacities. Volumetric μCT analysis revealed that bleomycin-treated lungs showed 38.2% fibrosis. Read further at thoracic.org…

Respiratory-gated U-CT imaging of COPD in ferrets

In-vivo imaging of COPD-induced ferret lungs using respiratory-gated U-CT demonstrate the structural changes in the airways due to chronic bronchitis. Airway wall dimension measurements (red lines) illustrate increased bronchial wall thickening compared to controls, compatible with airway mucus accumulation and/or remodeling and were worse in the lung apex. These features are consistent with clinical observations in patients with chronic bronchitis. COPD ferrets are highly representative for chronic bronchitis in humans and a useful model to evaluate disease mechanisms and therapeutic interventions. Read further at ATS journals…

References:
1. Infection and Rapid Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Ferrets, Kim et al., Cell Host & Microbe March 30, 2020
2. Complexities in Ferret Influenza Virus Pathogenesis and Transmission Models, J Belser et al., Microbiol Mol Biol Rev., July 2016
3. Correlation of Chest CT and RT-PCR Testing in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China: A Report of 1014 Cases, Tao Ai et al. Radiology-RSNA, Published Online: Feb 26, 2020
4. Chest CT Features of COVID-19 in Rome, Italy, Damiano Caruso et al., Radiology-RSNA< Published Online: Apr 3, 2020
5. A Guide for the Use of the Ferret Model for Inﬂuenza Virus Infection, J. Belser et al., The American Journal of Pathology, Jan. 2020.

Molecular U-CT: expanding Ultra-high-resolution CT with molecular tomography

While U-CT’s virtual bronchoscopy demonstrates the power of the MILabs platform of converting big data (in this case, several billion data points) into an animation that makes the complex anatomy of a mammalian lung accessible down to a look into the alveoli, many researchers may want to use additionally, molecularly specific contrast agents. MILabs makes this possible at any time by upgrading U-CT with molecular PET, SPECT or 2D/3D Optical modalities, and without compromising any of the X-ray CT capabilities. Read further…

MILabs new product catalog illustrates the power of multimodal synergy imaging

MILabs just released its new multimodality preclinical imaging brochure, featuring X-ray CT as well as PET, SPECT and 2D/3D Optical imaging platform. This unique platform offers all four modalities individually or in any combination. No matter what combination; the platform is extremely user friendly.

Download here