High resolution ultrasound for small animal imaging

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to obtain funds for the acquisition of a Visual Sonics Vevo 3100 ultrasound imaging system that will provide biomedical researchers on the Case Western Reserve University campus with non- invasive, real-time, high-resolution capabilities for imaging small animal models. The Vevo 3100 imaging platform is considered the gold-standard for ultrasound based imaging and offers superb spatial and temporal that is ideal for real-time studies of organ anatomy and physiology in various small animal models. The proposed imaging instrument will be shared by 10 NIH funded researchers that are involved in diverse fields of investigation, including inherited cardiomyopathies, chronic heart failure, vascular biology, developmental defects, renal function, and cancer therapeutics. These research projects all share a common need to perform high resolution non-invasive imaging in murine and avian disease models, however, the current imaging technologies available on our campus are not ideal for the needs of our investigators. The novel solid-state high-frequency transducers employed by the Vevo 3100 system have a dynamic range of 24-70 MHz which allows for quality and flexible imaging in a wide variety of research applications, and would provide technological capabilities not currently available on our campus. The Vevo 3100 micro-ultrasound platform will enhance our ability to perform longitudinal studies that characterize mouse models of cardiovascular disease, renal regulation of hypertension, delivery of anti-tumor drugs for treatment of liver cancer, characterization of developmental cardiac defects in avian embryos, and reversal of cardiac hypertrophy. The vastly improved technology on the Vevo 3100 machine will greatly enhance the reproducibility and efficiency of on-going research studies that have been employing the currently available Vevo 770 and Acuson Sequoia C512 instruments, which will result in a significant reduction in the number of animals needed of each study and the overall duration of the projects. Novel features on the Vevo 3100 platform will allow for the quantification of parameters which could not be previously investigated with current equipment such as the quantification of cardiovascular wall motion using VevoStrain software, color Doppler will enable measurements of blood flow direction and velocity, and nonlinear contrast agents will enable tumor detection and evaluation of drug delivery. Thus, we anticipate that the technological advancements provided by the Vevo 3100 imaging system will greatly advance our knowledge and translation of these studies for the treatment of human diseases. New technical capabilities will also help foster and further collaborations between investigators in different disciplines, which will significantly enhance current and future research efforts of our investigators.