The goal of the Preclinical Imaging Core is to provide non-invasive imaging approaches for visualizing pathological processes in animal models.

Our guidelines

  • If you wish to image or irradiate live animals, you must have a protocol or protocol amendment to this effect. The protocol/amendment must be approved by the ACVS animal care committee before experiments can begin. An SOP for MRI can be found here. An example amendment for VEVO can be found here.
  • If you wish to irradiate cells (e.g. in a petri dish), please fill out this form and email it to the PCIC team. The facility manager will work with you to schedule the irradiation, which will be performed by ACVS staff. Each petri dish should have an irradiation label, to avoid errors.
  • To obtain equipment training or to inquire about the MRI, please contact the PCIC team 
  • Inform the PCIC team of any issues and report any damages encountered during your imaging session. Do not attempt to repair or alter equipment in anyway unless you have been properly trained for this specific purpose. 
  • When finished, users must clean up after themselves and put everything back in place.  Refill isoflurane machines and check if any charcoal-activated scavengers need to be replaced.
  • The facility is not responsible for data stored on PCI machines’ hard drives. Any images left on the computer hard-drives may be deleted without warning.

Contact Us

Preclinical Imaging Core

Located within the Animal Care and Veterinary Service, University of Ottawa
Roger Guindon Hall, rooms 1327-1340
451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1H 8M5

Dr. Richard Aviv, MD

Head of Medical Imaging | Chef d'Imagerie médicale
The Ottawa Hospital | L’Hôpital d’Ottawa
Chair & Professor, Department of Radiology| Directeur & Professeur, Département de radiologie
Director, Preclinical Imaging Core | Directeur, Centre d’Imagerie Préclinique
University of Ottawa | Université d’Ottawa

Roland Pilgram, PhD

Facility Manager, Preclinical Imaging Core

For imaging inquiries, please contact us at
[email protected]

Holly Orlando, DVM

Director, Animal Care and Veterinary Service
[email protected]