Rodent Ultrasound Imaging System

描述（由申请人提供）：申请资金用于购买VEVO 770“高分辨率成像系统，由6个nih资助的教师的实验室共享。该仪器也将提供给UT西南学院的其他成员偶尔使用。主要用户组包括以下部门的成员：内科/心脏病学(3)，分子生物学(1)，儿科(1)和内科/转化研究部(1)。VisualSonics Vevo 770成像系统是一种先进的超声成像系统，专为小动物（啮齿动物）研究而设计。我们已经确定了一组由美国国立卫生研究院资助的研究人员，他们来自广泛的学科，他们的研究将受益于这项技术。目前用户群提出的项目包括：(1)钙调磷酸酶介导的心脏Ca2+通道调节，心脏肥厚和衰竭中的HDAC抑制（Hill）；(2)通过调控的转录共激活因子、心肌发育的转录控制、调节心脏发育的基因和心脏发生的遗传解剖来控制心脏基因的表达（Olson）；(3)肌肉钙调磷酸酶信号通路的调节；(4) FOXO4促进动脉粥样硬化（Liu）；(5);心脏间隔（Garg）的基因调控(6)创新蛋白质组学研究（加纳）。相关性：德克萨斯大学西南分校目前可用的超声成像设备是为人类使用而设计的（最大频率为15 MHz），并为小动物心血管分析提供最低分辨率。VisualSonics Vevo 770成像系统的空间分辨率显著提高。因此，该系统的可用性将极大地扩展我们对心脏和血管结构和功能的多因素分析的能力。此外，这将首次允许德克萨斯大学西南分校的研究人员在子宫内对发育中的心脏进行无创成像，并量化动脉血流和斑块负担。这些能力将大大加强我们对心血管疾病及其发展的研究。此外，这项技术将有助于测试几种新的治疗策略。因此，美国国立卫生研究院赞助的几个心血管研究项目将通过这项重要的技术得到极大的加强。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Funds are requested to purchase a VEVO 770" HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING SYSTEM to be shared by the laboratories of 6 NIH-funded faculty. The instrument will also be made available for occasional use by other members of the UT Southwestern faculty. The primary users group includes members of the following departments: Internal Medicine/Cardiology (3), Molecular Biology (1), Pediatrics (1), and Internal Medicine/Division of Translational Research (1). The VisualSonics Vevo 770 imaging system is an advanced ultrasound imaging system specifically designed for small animal (rodent) studies. We have identified a group of NIH-funded investigators from a broad array of disciplines whose research would benefit from this technology. Projects proposed by the current users group include: (1) Calcineurin-mediated Regulation of Cardiac Ca2+ Channel, HDAC Inhibition in Cardiac Hypertrophy and Failure (Hill); (2) Control of Cardiac Gene Expression Through Regulated Transcriptional Coactivators, Transcriptional Control of Cardiac Muscle Development, Genes that Regulate Heart Development, and Genetic Dissection of Cardiogenesis (Olson); (3) Modulating Calcineurin Signaling Pathways in Muscle (Rothermel); (4) FOXO4 Promotes Atherosclerosis (Liu); (5); Genetic Regulation of Cardiac Septation (Garg); (6) Innovative Proteomics Research (Garner). Relevance: The ultrasound imaging equipment currently available at UT Southwestern is designed for human use (with a maximal frequency of 15 MHz) and provides minimal resolution for small animal cardiovascular analysis. The spatial resolution of the VisualSonics Vevo 770 imaging system is markedly enhanced. As a result, availability of this system would greatly expand our capacity for multifactorial analysis of cardiac and vascular structure and function. Further, it would for the first time allow investigators at UT Southwestern to non-invasively image the developing heart in utero and quantify arterial blood flow and plaque burden. These capabilities would greatly enhance our studies of cardiovascular disease and development. In addition, this technology would facilitate the testing of several novel therapeutic strategies. As a result, several NIH-sponsored cardiovascular research projects would be vastly enhanced by this important technology. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The heart is a terminally differentiated yet remarkably plastic organ. Disease-related stresses, such as unremitting hypertension or myocardial injury, trigger hypertrophic growth that increases the risk of functional decompensation and malignant rhythm disturbance. Our understanding of mechanisms governing these remodeling reactions is incomplete, and deciphering them may yield insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure, a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Urgency is highlighted by the fact that heart failure is the most important cardiovascular disorder in the Western world from the perspectives of health care resource utilization.