This application requests funds for a VisualSonics Vevo770 Imaging System to support research being carried out at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and the Tufts Medical Center (TMC) in Boston. A core group of 12 well funded NIH investigators will be the primary users of the instrument and will account for approximately 80% of its use. Cutting edge projects in the areas of cancer, stem cell and vascular biology are described. The system will be housed in the TUSM/TMC Small Animal Imaging Facility where it will complement existing optical imaging equipment including a Xenogen IVIS biophotonic imager and a Leica MZFLIII stereo fluorescence imaging system. Addition of the instrument to the facility is strongly supported by the Chairman of the Department of Physiology, who will provide space for the instrument and administrative support, the Dean of the Medical School who will provide support for an experienced sonographer, and the Vice President of Research at the Medical Center, who will provide funds for maintenance of the instrument. The Facility is directed by the PI and the instrument will be managed and operated on a day-to-day basis by the Facility Manager and a Sonographer who will also train new users. Several investigators at TUSM/TMC have expertise in ultrasound technology including Dr. Richard Patten, who will serve as an onsite consultant for the instrument. An advisory committee consisting of the PI (TUSM), Dr. Patten (TMC) and representatives from the TMC Cancer Center, the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, and the Medical School's Department of Physiology will oversee use of the Vevo770 system and develop policies for use and equitable sharing of the instrument. The availability of the Vevo770 imaging system will greatly enhance the quality and extent of NIH- funded biomedical research being carried out on the Tufts Health Sciences Campus in Boston.
If funded, this grant proposal will result in the purchase of a state-of-the-art ultrasound imaging system that will accelerate cutting edge NIH-funded research being conducted at Tufts Medical School and Medical Center. Funding of the proposal will also contribute to the development of new imaging technology that is expected by many to have an increasingly important role in disease diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.
