BARC news archive

4/23/26: Congratulations to the Spiegel group for their recent Nature Communications publication, "SPNS2 exports sphingosine-1-phosphate and imports glucose" (PubMed link; doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-71659-7, including data generated in BARC! We are proud to see this novel work out and look forward to what future studies it influences.

4/15/26: Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Preclinical Imaging Consortium 2026 meeting in Philadelphia! It was great to exchange ideas with our fellow cores to improve our research. We look forward to next year!

4/1/26: Congratulations to the Garcia-Bonilla/Limbrick group for their new publication, "Post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus of prematurity is associated with disruption of tight junctions and increased macrophage activity in the choroid plexus" (PubMed link; doi: 10.1186/s12987-026-00800-x). BARC is thrilled to have been a part of the study and are excited to see where future studies go!

1/5/26: Happy new year from BARC! We look forward to continuing to assist with all of your imaging needs in 2026, no matter how small or large!

9/2/25: BARC is now offering fabrication and object duplication services! Using our advanced imaging equipment and high-resolution resin 3D printers, we are able to produce functional duplicates of most small objects at <100μm resolution. Models can be printed directly from 3D scans, traced from 3D scans to correct imperfections, or generated from the ground up. Alternate fabrication methods such as vacuum/thermoforming, silicone casting, laser cutting, and more are available. Rates start around $50 and can be charged to any index code. Please contact us for more information!

7/8/25: Congratulations to the lab of Dr. Frank Raucci for their recent acceptance into The FASEB Journal for their work, "MYH6-Cre Insertion Accelerates Cardiac Phenotype in Dystrophic D2-mdx Mice", which includes MRI data generated in BARC. The manuscript can be accessed via its DOI.

4/5/25: BARC will be presenting a poster at Preclinical Imaging Consortium 2025 in Houston, Texas, from 4/9-11, featuring a wide array of data from all of our modalities. Hope we see you there!

2/28/25: Thanks to everyone for the outpouring of interest after BARC was featured in the VCU Core Facilities Newsletter! February has been a landmark month for BARC, setting a new record for the number of investigators using our services as well as all of our modalities being used simultaneously for the first time. We look forward to continuing to serve your imaging needs!

2/10/25: Thanks to everyone for attending both the MSOT applications presentation and technical training sessions, along with a huge shout-out to Dr. Thomas Sardella from iThera Medical for his expertise throughout. Turnout was much greater than expected and we look forward to providing MSOT service for your research needs. Please contact us if you would like a recap from the informational sessions or have an interest in using photoacoustic imaging in your research!

1/13/25: Our iThera MSOT now has a new, extended-range laser than can reach up to 1300nm, perfect for imaging collagen such as in fibrotic disorders. A representative from iThera will be on campus from 1/28-1/30 to provide a presentation covering applications (9-10AM 1/28) followed by hands-on training. Please contact us for room locations and Zoom link!

12/6/24: Paravision 7 and the proton density fat fraction package have been installed on our Bruker Biospec 7T. These upgrades will help streamline future MR data acquisition and expand our capacity for quantitative tissue analysis. Please inquire for more detail!

10/31/24: Our services request form is now live! We are happy to continue communicating via email, but this will help streamline the intake process, especially for larger studies or those that may require add-on services beyond imaging.

8/7/24: BARC has received approval for upgrades to our Bruker 7T MR system! We will be upgrading to Paravision 7 as well as acquiring a software package for Proton Density Fat Fraction (PDFF) measurement. These additions will greatly enhance future studies in BARC, particularly those involving liver disease such as MASH.

8/7/24: This page was created.

7/18/24: Mackey gained access to modify the BARC website.

6/10/24: Dr. Mackenzie "Mackey" Newman began working as BARC's preclinical imaging manager.

6/5/24: BARC has been approved to purchase a new laser for our iThera Medical MSOT inVision system! This will extend our maximum excitation wavelength from 1000 to 1300nm, well into infrared-A, allowing imaging of collagen deposition typically associated with fibrosis.

11/25/13: The great flood of Sanger B3.

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