Patent ID: 8918163

Claim:
A portable animal holder configured for use in one or more in vivo imaging systems, the portable animal holder comprising: a first frame and a first imaging window, wherein the first imaging window is secured to the first frame; a second frame and a second imaging window, wherein the second imaging window is secured to the second frame, and each of the first imaging window and the second imaging window is composed of a material transparent to electromagnetic radiation; and an adjustment mechanism to adjust a spacing between the first imaging window and the second imaging window, wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured, upon adjustment, to maintain substantial parallelism between the first imaging window and the second imaging window, such that the first frame and the second frame are only connected to each other via the adjustment mechanism, thereby maintaining a gap between the first frame and the second frame, and the portable animal holder is configured, upon adjustment, to prevent movement of the animal positioned between the first frame and the second frame during imaging of the animal in the one or more in vivo imaging systems; wherein, upon positioning of the animal, a first portion of the animal is flush to the first imaging window, a second portion of the animal is flush to the second imaging window, and the animal is arranged such that electromagnetic radiation can pass through the first imaging window, the animal, and the second imaging window during in vivo imaging.