HIGH RESOLUTION ULTRASOUND SYSTEM FOR CARDIOVASCULAR PHENOTYPING IN MICE

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案请求支持将现有的超声系统升级到Visualsonics Vevo 2100成像平台，该平台将用于常见人类心血管疾病的实验动物模型的心血管系统的结构和功能分析。它将被安置在华盛顿大学医学院心血管研究中心的小鼠心血管表型核心设施中并进行操作。这种专门的活体显微成像仪将显著提高心血管表型核心的能力，该中心已发展成为一家非常成功的大容量设施，每年进行近1500项超声心动图研究。它为华盛顿大学多个院系和学校以及全国范围内来自不同学科的大量研究人员提供了服务。事实上，用户的工作取决于高质量超声心动图分析的可用性。由于核心用户的研究项目的质量和成功，多年来超声心动图研究的数量和复杂性稳步上升，以至于现有系统不再能够充分满足用户组对参与者科学需求所需的规模和范围的需求。Visualsonics Vevo 2100是一种高度通用的超声系统，能够为研究人员提供可视化和量化小动物解剖目标、血流动力学和治疗干预的能力，分辨率可达30微米。它最先进的技术特征特别适合于基因操纵的小鼠的心血管表型。升级到新的超声系统将为核心用户实现其NIH资助项目的科学目标提供直接好处。 公共卫生相关性：生物医学研究的最新进展彻底改变了我们对人类疾病的基本理解。人类基因组计划在开发针对常见疾病的突破性治疗方法方面大有可为，只有当我们了解基因功能通过其产品发生变化如何导致细胞和器官功能改变，以及这些变化如何导致疾病时，这一承诺才能实现。在动物(主要是老鼠)中使用复杂的分子遗传学技术，使科学家能够研究单个基因的扰动对包括心脏和血管系统在内的整个器官功能的影响。最先进的成像设备，如所要求的超声波机，将在这一发现过程中发挥关键作用。心脏超声特别适合于满足这些实验的不同需求，并已被证明是在评估心血管疾病小鼠模型的心脏和血管结构和功能方面的关键资产。我们的实验室一直处于这些发展的前沿，获得所需的设备将有助于确保我们NIH资助的研究人员的研究项目继续成功。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests support for the upgrade of an existing ultrasound system to the VisualSonics Vevo 2100 Imaging Platform, which will be used for structural and functional analysis of the cardiovascular system in experimental animal models of common human cardiovascular diseases. It will be housed and operated in the Mouse Cardiovascular Phenotyping Core facility of the Center for Cardiovascular Research at Washington University School of Medicine. This dedicated in vivo micro-imager will markedly advance the capabilities of the Cardiovascular Phenotyping Core, which has evolved to a highly successful, large volume facility, performing nearly 1,500 echocardiographic studies annually. It has served large number researchers from a wide variety of disciplines across multiple departments and schools at Washington University, as well as nationwide. Indeed, the users' work depends on the availability of high quality echocardiographic analysis. As a result of the quality and success of the research projects of the Core users, there has been a steady rise in the volume and complexity of the echocardiographic studies over the years to the point that the existing system can no longer adequately satisfy the demands of the User Group on the scale and scope that is required for the scientific needs of the participant. The VisualSonics Vevo 2100 is a highly versatile ultrasound system capable of providing researchers with the ability to visualize and quantify small animal anatomical targets, hemodynamics, and therapeutic interventions with resolution down to 30 microns. Its state-of-the-art technical features are uniquely suited for cardiovascular phenotyping in genetically manipulated mice. Upgrade to the new ultrasound system will provide immediate benefit to the Core users in accomplishing the scientific goals of their NIH funded projects. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Recent advances in biomedical research have revolutionized our basic understanding of human diseases. The human genome project holds great promise in developing breakthrough treatments for common illnesses, a promise that can only be fulfilled if we can understand how changes in the function of genes through their products lead to altered cellular and organ function, and how these changes cause disease. The use of sophisticated molecular genetic techniques in animals (mainly mice), allows scientist to study the effect of perturbation of a single gene on the function of a whole organ, including the heart and the vasculature. Stateof- the-art imaging equipments, such as the requested ultrasound machine, will play a critical role in this process of discovery. Cardiac ultrasound is uniquely suited to satisfy the diverse needs of these experiments, and has proven to be a critical asset in the evaluation of the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels in mouse models of cardiovascular disease. Our laboratory has been at the forefront of these developments and acquisition of the requested equipment will help ensure continued success of the research projects of our NIH funded investigators.