Visualization capabilities of experimental oncological models in small laboratory animals

Abstract

For a long time non-invasive imaging methods have been inaccessible in preclinical practice; their introduction lately has broadened the boundaries of relevant studies and felicitated new approaches to solving fundamental problems. Up-to-date imaging methods constitute an essential component of preclinical and translational biomedical research allowing quick and non-invasive extended representation of structural organization and functional characteristics of pathological processes in vivo. Methods of radiation diagnosis and nuclear magnetic resonance allow to assess the state of bones, soft tissues, internal organs, blood vessels and peripheral nerve fibers in various animals, not only mammals, but also fish, amphibians, reptiles and insects. Multiparametric studies can uniquely localize any anatomical structure or pathological process. However, not all existing techniques are applicable to various oncological models of small laboratory animals.