VisualSonics Vevo 2100 Small Animal Ultrasound Imaging System and Accessories

描述（由申请人提供）：申请资金用于购买VisualSonics Vevo 2100相控阵小动物超声成像系统-包括适用于心血管、癌症、肾病和糖尿病研究的换能器。高分辨率超声是获得小动物非侵入性解剖、功能和分子成像的首选方式，广泛用于NIH资助的基础研究。高分辨率超声提供了出色的空间分辨率（在最高建议频率下为35 <m x 60 <m）、出色的软组织对比度和非常高的帧速率（高达每秒1000帧）。新发布的Vevo 2100扫描仪相对于早期的机械扫掠单元件Vevo 770扫描仪提供了大幅改进的性能。因此，新的Vevo 2100在解析精细空间细节（即解剖成像）、成像和定量血流（即功能成像）以及检测分子靶向微泡（即分子成像-NIH路线图优先事项的一部分）方面提供了独特的性能。Vevo 2100相控阵扫描仪提供高达70 MHz的成像，而临床相控阵扫描仪仅限于15- 18 MHz范围。我们拟购买的Vevo 2100具有用于血流动力学可视化的彩色多普勒、用于灌注敏感成像和定量的能量多普勒、用于血流速度定量的脉冲多普勒。该扫描仪还具有组织跟踪软件，能够评估和量化心脏收缩缺陷。新扫描仪将加快我们的研究步伐，同时提高扫描的技术质量，同时在几分钟内实现对单个动物的全面扫描，而使用现有仪器则需要大约一个小时。改进的采集速率将使小鼠心肌的3D位移的分辨率更有意义。Vevo 2100的对比度（微泡）成像能力显著提高，将能够对缺血组织进行非常优越的上级评估。 我们已经获得了VisualSonics创始人兼首席科学官Stuart Foster的支持信，表明高水平的技术合作将使我们能够更充分地利用该仪器的技术能力。具体而言，我们继续开发用于描述心脏功能的新指标，并计划探索在> 30 MHz超声激励下微泡行为的相对未触及区域。这种合作可能需要对软件进行微小的修改，以适应我们的研究，作为回报，我们的一些技术贡献可能会在以后的VisualSonics平台上得到利用，从而对鼠标成像社区产生更广泛的积极影响。 八个位于哥伦比亚大学的主要用户将共享该仪器的访问权限。另外六名未成年用户将分享剩余时间。这些用户从以下NIH组成机构获得资助：NIBIB，NHLBI，NCI，NIDDK，NIAID。 公共卫生相关性：弗吉尼亚大学的研究人员申请资金购买VisualSonics Vevo 2100小动物超声成像系统，该系统配有适用于心血管、癌症、肾病和糖尿病研究的换能器。高分辨率超声是获得小动物内部非侵入性图像的首选方法，广泛应用于各个研究领域。这样，拟议的工具将加快研究的步伐，降低进行研究的成本（取代更昂贵的方法），并减少研究动物的总使用量（通过用时间序列研究取代基于动物的研究）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Funds are requested to purchase a VisualSonics Vevo2100 phased array small animal ultrasound imaging system - including transducers appropriate for cardiovascular, cancer, nephrology and diabetes research. High resolution ultrasound is the preferred modality for obtaining noninvasive anatomic, functional and molecular imaging of small animals widely used in NIH funded basic research. High resolution ultrasound provides excellent spatial resolution (35 <m x 60 <m at the highest proposed frequency), excellent soft tissue contrast and very high frame rates (up to 1000 frames per second). The newly released Vevo2100 scanner provides substantially improved performance with respect to the earlier mechanically swept single element Vevo770 scanner. Thus, the new Vevo2100 provides unique performance in terms of ability to resolve fine spatial detail (i.e. anatomic imaging), image and quantify blood flow (i.e. functional imaging) and detect molecular targeted microbubbes (i.e. molecular imaging - part of the NIH Roadmap Priorities). The Vevo2100 phased array scanner provides imaging at up to 70 MHz whereas clinical phased array scanners are limited to the 15- 18MHz range. The Vevo2100 that we propose to purchase has Color Doppler for visualizing blood flow dynamics, Power Doppler for sensitive imaging and quantification of perfusion, Pulsed-Wave Doppler for quantification of blood flow velocity. The scanner also possesses tissue tracking software to enable assessment and quantification of cardiac contractile defects. The new scanner will accelerate the pace of our research by simultaneously improving the technical quality of our scans while achieving comprehensive scans of individual animals in a few minutes as opposed to approximately one hour using existing instrumentation. The improved acquisition rate will enable more meaningful resolution of 3D displacements of the mouse myocardium. The significantly improved contrast (microbubble) imaging capability of the Vevo2100 will enable vastly superior assessment of ischemic tissue. We have obtained a letter of support from the VisualSonics founder and Chief Scientific Officer Stuart Foster indicating a high level of technical collaboration that will allow us to more fully exploit the technical capabilities of this instrument. Specifically, we continue to develop new metrics for describing cardiac function and we plan to explore the relatively untouched area of microbubble behavior under ultrasound excitation at >30MHz. This collaboration may require access to minor changes in the software to suit our research and in return some of our technical contributions may be later exploited on the VisualSonics platform so as to more widely positive impact the mouse imaging community. Eight University of Virginia-based Major Users will share access to the instrument. An additional six Minor Users will share remaining time. These users have funding from the following NIH component institutes: NIBIB, NHLBI, NCI, NIDDK, NIAID. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: University of Virginia researchers request funds to purchase a VisualSonics Vevo 2100 small animal ultrasound imaging system with transducers appropriate for cardiovascular, cancer, nephrology and diabetes research. High resolution ultrasound is the preferred method for obtaining noninvasive images of the interior of small animals widely used in various fields of research. In this way, the instrument proposed will accelerate the pace of research, reduce the cost of conducting research (displacing more expensive methods) and reduce the total usage of research animals (by replacing sacrifice-based study with time-serial study).