HIGH FREQUENCY ULTRASOUND FOR EXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY IN SMALL VERTEBRATES

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Our multidisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in studying developmental, reproductive, stress and cardiorespiratory mechanisms requests funding to procure a state-of-the-art high frequency ultrasound imaging device to support diverse research and training programs. There is no other unit or equipment with similar capabilities available at the University or in the vicinity that is accessible by the research team. The high frequency ultrasound equipment will significantly increase research output by providing unprecedented details of soft tissue and organ function in living animals as small as a zebrafish, a tiny frog or a mouse. The equipment will allow us to study how the zebrafish heart responds to stress and environmental challenges, to understand how novel hormones regulate sex organs, to develop strategies to breed rare and endangered amphibians, and to understand how endocrine-disrupting chemicals act on the gonads. Our HQP will be provided with an invaluable opportunity for the cutting-edge training needed for complex imaging methods and large dataset analysis as applied to fields such as animal development and physiology and reproductive biology. We provide a collaborative and inclusive environment for our HQP. They will be highly sought after by academia, industry, or government research departments because of the unique hands-on training and transferable skills that they gain in our research program.