Acquisition of a VisualSonics Vevo 2100 mouse ultrasound for Cornell Imaging faci

描述（由申请人提供）：这是一份购买visualsonic Vevo 2100的资金申请，以便为康奈尔大学伊萨卡校区的生物医学研究人员提供高分辨率的小鼠超声成像。Vevo 2100相当于人体超声波站，但频率高10倍，因此分辨率适合小鼠大小的器官和组织。它提供了一种非侵入性成像策略，在心脏和瓣膜运动，血管流动和胚胎发育的可视化方面表现出色。它还可以在触诊前对癌性病变进行准确的体积评估。组织灌注可以通过多普勒方法评估，并通过引入超声造影剂（大小不等的小气泡）提高灵敏度。visualsonic最近开发了全固态换能器，使成像速度更快，对样品的机械扰动更小。提议的仪器将成为康奈尔成像设施管理下的共享资源，供超过8名nih资助的研究人员使用，研究从组织硬度对转移的影响到心脏发育机制的各种项目。获得的超声将构成体内成像设备套件的基本组成部分，该设备还包括全鼠荧光成像、高分辨率CT和多光子显微镜。这个新的小鼠成像设施将在康奈尔成像核心设施现有的行政和监督结构下进行管理。一个小鼠成像教育模块将围绕中心开发，向学生和研究人员介绍无创成像策略，并让他们了解在全身麻醉下动物的维护和监测。更广泛地说，我们期望这个体内成像套件将提供一个研究和培训中心，鼓励思想交流，探索跨平台研究和新应用。所要求的仪器将是生物医学研究的一个重要组成部分，使研究人员能够更好地了解发育、心脏病学和癌变的基本机制。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a request for funds to purchase a VisualSonics Vevo 2100 in order to provide high-resolution, mouse ultrasound imaging for biomedical researchers on Cornell's Ithaca campus. The Vevo 2100 is equivalent to a human ultrasound station but with tenfold higher frequency, resulting in a resolution appropriate to mouse- sized organs and tissues. It offers a non-invasive imaging strategy that excels in the visualization of cardiac and valve movements, vascular flow and embryonic development. It also enables accurate volumetric assessment of cancerous lesions before they can be palpated. Tissue perfusion can be assessed by Doppler methods and with increased sensitivity by introduction of ultrasound contrast (small bubbles of varying sizes). VisualSonics has recently developed all solid-state transducers that enable faster imaging with less mechanical perturbation to specimens. The proposed instrument will be a shared resource managed under the Cornell Imaging facility, for use by more than eight NIH-funded researchers investigating a diverse set of projects ranging from the effects of tissue stiffness on metastasis to mechanisms of heart development. The acquired ultrasound will form the seed component to an in vivo imaging suite of instruments, consisting also of whole mouse fluorescence imaging, high resolution CT and multiphoton microscopy. This new mouse imaging facility will be managed under an administrative and oversight structure already existing for the Cornell Imaging core facility. A mouse imaging educational module will be developed around the center to introduce students and researchers to noninvasive imaging strategies and exposure them to maintenance and monitoring of animals under general anesthesia. More broadly, we expect that this in vivo imaging suite will provide a center for research and training, encouraging an exchange of ideas, and an exploration of cross-platform studies and novel applications. The requested instrument will be an important component to biomedical research, enabling researchers to better understand the fundamental mechanisms of development, cardiology and carcinogenesis.