Multiparametric ultrasound imaging for early detection of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

项目总结 肝病在全球范围内的数量和相关性都在增加。这种病不会引起任何人的注意 在许多情况下都有症状。确诊后，与医疗相关的费用非常高。患者可能会 以非酒精性脂肪性肝病(NAFLD)为特征，以进行性存在为基础 脂肪变性(即脂肪在肝脏内异常堆积)、炎症、气球膨胀，然后是肝纤维化。 尽管NAFLD迅速增长和流行，但治疗NAFLD的唯一方法是改变生活方式，例如 节食和锻炼。在制药行业积极寻求发现和开发 候选药物疗法要解决这种未得到满足的医疗需求，临床上迫切需要有能力 对NAFLD进行非侵入性检测、准确分期和可靠监测。为此，这项研究项目的目标是 是开发一种用于非酒精性脂肪肝的多参数超声(MPUS)成像系统和方法 疾病(NAFLD)，包括早期病理进展。我们的初步发现强烈表明，单一的 结合脂肪变性、气球膨胀和炎症信息的MPUS测试有可能提供 非酒精性脂肪肝早期主要成分的综合评价建议的主要创新之处在于 研究项目在于NAFLD的生物物理模型与这些协调的MPU之间的隐含联系 测量。该项目的第一个目标是开发一种集成的超声系统和方法 执行MPU成像。然后我们将在健康的大鼠肝脏中优化这种新的成像系统。最后，我们将 使用反映人类疾病进展的NAFLD大鼠模型评估MPUS成像。在这里，我们将 在NAFLD进展的决策中，还优化了生物物理模型和纵向性能。如果 成功后，这项研究将引入并验证一种安全、经济高效的MPU成像技术，该技术可以 对NAFLD进行非侵入性检测、准确分期和可靠监测。

PROJECT SUMMARY Liver disease is increasing in numbers and relevance across the globe. This disease causes no noticeable symptoms in many cases. After diagnosis, the costs associated with medical care are very high. Patients can be characterized on the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) spectrum based on the progressive presence of steatosis (i.e. abnormal accumulation of fat within the liver), inflammation, ballooning, and then hepatic fibrosis. Despite the rapid growth and prevalence, the only therapy to treat NAFLD are lifestyle modifications, such as diet and exercise. While the pharmaceutical industry is actively pursuing the discovery and development of candidate drug therapies to address this unmet medical need, there is an urgent clinical need for the ability to noninvasively detect, accurately stage, and reliably monitor NAFLD. To that end, the goal of this research project is to develop a system and method for multiparametric ultrasound (mpUS) imaging of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) including early pathology progression. Our preliminary findings strongly suggest that a single mpUS test that combines steatosis, ballooning, and inflammation information has the potential to provide a comprehensive estimation of the main components of early stage NAFLD. The main innovation of the proposed research project lies in the implicit link between biophysical models of NAFLD with these coordinated mpUS measurements. The first objective of this project is to develop an integrated ultrasound system and method for performing mpUS imaging. Then we will optimize this new imaging system in healthy rat liver. Lastly, we will evaluate mpUS imaging with a rat model of NAFLD that mirrors disease progression in humans. Here we will also optimize a biophysical model and longitudinal performance in the decision of NAFLD progression. If successful, this research will introduce and validate a safe, cost-effective mpUS imaging technology that can noninvasively detect, accurately stage, and reliably monitor NAFLD.