High resolution ultrasound for small animal imaging

 描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目标是获得资金，用于收购Visual Sonics Vevo 3100超声成像系统，该系统将为凯斯西储大学校园的生物医学研究人员提供非侵入性、实时、高分辨率的小动物模型成像能力。Vevo 3100成像平台被认为是基于超声成像的黄金标准，并提供卓越的空间和时间，是各种小动物模型中器官解剖学和生理学实时研究的理想选择。拟议的成像仪器将由10名NIH资助的研究人员共享，这些研究人员涉及不同的研究领域，包括遗传性心肌病、慢性 心力衰竭、血管生物学、发育缺陷、肾功能和癌症治疗。这些研究项目都有一个共同的需求，即在小鼠和鸟类疾病模型中进行高分辨率非侵入性成像，然而，我们校园内现有的成像技术并不适合我们研究人员的需求。Vevo 3100系统采用的新型固态高频换能器具有24-70 MHz的动态范围，可在各种研究应用中实现高质量和灵活的成像，并提供我们校园目前无法提供的技术能力。Vevo 3100微型超声平台将增强我们进行纵向研究的能力，这些研究包括心血管疾病小鼠模型的特征、高血压的肾脏调节、用于治疗肝癌的抗肿瘤药物的递送、禽类胚胎发育心脏缺陷的特征以及心脏肥大的逆转。Vevo 3100机器上的大幅改进技术将大大提高正在进行的研究的重现性和效率，这些研究一直采用目前可用的Vevo 770和Acuson Sequoia C512仪器，这将导致每次研究所需的动物数量和项目的总持续时间显著减少。Vevo 3100平台上的新功能将允许对以前无法研究的参数进行量化 利用当前的设备，例如使用VevoStrain软件对心血管壁运动进行量化，彩色多普勒将能够测量血流方向和速度，并且非线性造影剂将能够进行肿瘤检测和药物输送的评估。因此，我们预计Vevo 3100成像系统提供的技术进步将极大地促进我们对人类疾病治疗研究的了解和翻译。新的技术能力还将有助于促进和进一步加强不同学科研究人员之间的合作，这将大大加强我们研究人员当前和未来的研究工作。

 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.