Christian Vanhove

Quantitative small-animal imaging

Preclinical imaging offers a clear, comprehensive, and live view of biology, enabling researchers to collect holistic, quantitative, and longitudinal imaging data. Research in preclinical imaging focuses on advancing preclinical imaging technologies to develop accurate and precise imaging biomarkers for (early) disease detection, to monitor disease progression and to evaluate treatment response in vivo. The work integrates innovations in imaging hardware, image analysis, and standardized imaging protocols to support translational research across a wide range of medicine fields, including oncology, neurology, cardiology, and others.

The work is closely connected to the Core ARTH Infinity facility. Core ARTH Infinity is one of the approved core facilities of Ghent University and part of CORE ARTH, offering preclinical multimodal medical imaging services to various departments of Ghent University, the Ghent University Hospital, the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) and the industry.  The lab houses a wide range of state-of-the-art preclinical medical imaging devices for non-invasive in vivo imaging of laboratory animals. This includes optical imaging, high‑field MRI, SPECT, PET, CT, ultrasound and a small‑animal radiation research platform. The research leverages this research infrastructure to design reproducible imaging protocols, optimize multimodal acquisition strategies and support collaborative translational projects across academia, industry and clinical partners.