VisualSonics Vevo 2100 Small Animal Ultrasound Imaging System and Accessories

描述（由申请人提供）：申请资金用于购买VisualSonics Vevo2100相控阵小型动物超声成像系统-包括适合心血管，癌症，肾病和糖尿病研究的换能器。在NIH资助的基础研究中，高分辨率超声是获得小动物无创解剖、功能和分子成像的首选方式。高分辨率超声提供出色的空间分辨率（最高建议频率为35 <m x 60 <m），出色的软组织对比度和非常高的帧率（高达每秒1000帧）。新发布的Vevo2100扫描仪相对于早期的机械扫描单元件Vevo770扫描仪提供了显着改进的性能。因此，新的Vevo2100在解决精细空间细节（即解剖成像），成像和量化血流（即功能成像）以及检测分子靶向微泡（即分子成像- NIH路线图优先事项的一部分）方面提供了独特的性能。Vevo2100相控阵扫描仪提供高达70 MHz的成像，而临床相控阵扫描仪仅限于15- 18MHz范围。我们建议购买的Vevo2100具有用于可视化血流动力学的彩色多普勒，用于敏感成像和灌注量化的功率多普勒，用于量化血流速度的脉冲波多普勒。扫描仪还具有组织跟踪软件，使心脏收缩缺陷的评估和量化。新的扫描仪将加快我们的研究步伐，同时提高我们的扫描技术质量，同时在几分钟内实现对单个动物的全面扫描，而不是使用现有仪器大约一小时。提高的采集率将使小鼠心肌三维位移的分辨率更有意义。Vevo2100显着改善的对比（微泡）成像能力将使缺血组织的评估更加优越。我们已经从visualsonic的创始人兼首席科学官Stuart Foster那里获得了一封支持信，信中表明了高水平的技术合作，这将使我们能够更充分地利用这台仪器的技术能力。具体而言，我们将继续开发描述心功能的新指标，并计划在bbb30 mhz超声激励下探索相对未触及的微泡行为区域。这种合作可能需要对软件进行微小的修改，以适应我们的研究，作为回报，我们的一些技术贡献可能会在visualsonic平台上得到利用，从而对鼠标成像社区产生更广泛的积极影响。弗吉尼亚大学的八个主要用户将共享对该仪器的访问权。另外六个次要用户将分享剩余的时间。这些用户从以下NIH组成机构获得资助：NIBIB， NHLBI， NCI， NIDDK， NIAID。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Funds are requested to purchase a VisualSonics Vevo2100 phased array small animal ultrasound imaging system - including transducers appropriate for cardiovascular, cancer, nephrology and diabetes research. High resolution ultrasound is the preferred modality for obtaining noninvasive anatomic, functional and molecular imaging of small animals widely used in NIH funded basic research. High resolution ultrasound provides excellent spatial resolution (35 <m x 60 <m at the highest proposed frequency), excellent soft tissue contrast and very high frame rates (up to 1000 frames per second). The newly released Vevo2100 scanner provides substantially improved performance with respect to the earlier mechanically swept single element Vevo770 scanner. Thus, the new Vevo2100 provides unique performance in terms of ability to resolve fine spatial detail (i.e. anatomic imaging), image and quantify blood flow (i.e. functional imaging) and detect molecular targeted microbubbes (i.e. molecular imaging - part of the NIH Roadmap Priorities). The Vevo2100 phased array scanner provides imaging at up to 70 MHz whereas clinical phased array scanners are limited to the 15- 18MHz range. The Vevo2100 that we propose to purchase has Color Doppler for visualizing blood flow dynamics, Power Doppler for sensitive imaging and quantification of perfusion, Pulsed-Wave Doppler for quantification of blood flow velocity. The scanner also possesses tissue tracking software to enable assessment and quantification of cardiac contractile defects. The new scanner will accelerate the pace of our research by simultaneously improving the technical quality of our scans while achieving comprehensive scans of individual animals in a few minutes as opposed to approximately one hour using existing instrumentation. The improved acquisition rate will enable more meaningful resolution of 3D displacements of the mouse myocardium. The significantly improved contrast (microbubble) imaging capability of the Vevo2100 will enable vastly superior assessment of ischemic tissue. We have obtained a letter of support from the VisualSonics founder and Chief Scientific Officer Stuart Foster indicating a high level of technical collaboration that will allow us to more fully exploit the technical capabilities of this instrument. Specifically, we continue to develop new metrics for describing cardiac function and we plan to explore the relatively untouched area of microbubble behavior under ultrasound excitation at >30MHz. This collaboration may require access to minor changes in the software to suit our research and in return some of our technical contributions may be later exploited on the VisualSonics platform so as to more widely positive impact the mouse imaging community. Eight University of Virginia-based Major Users will share access to the instrument. An additional six Minor Users will share remaining time. These users have funding from the following NIH component institutes: NIBIB, NHLBI, NCI, NIDDK, NIAID. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: University of Virginia researchers request funds to purchase a VisualSonics Vevo 2100 small animal ultrasound imaging system with transducers appropriate for cardiovascular, cancer, nephrology and diabetes research. High resolution ultrasound is the preferred method for obtaining noninvasive images of the interior of small animals widely used in various fields of research. In this way, the instrument proposed will accelerate the pace of research, reduce the cost of conducting research (displacing more expensive methods) and reduce the total usage of research animals (by replacing sacrifice-based study with time-serial study).