Funds are requested to upgrade the ultrasound imaging capabilities of The Cardiovascular Phenotype Core at the University of Iowa. The Core was founded with NIH support in 2002, and has completed over 9,000 research ultrasound imaging studies in rodents with clinically relevant models of diseases such as cardiomyopathy, cancer, inherited diseases of muscle, and toxemia of pregnancy. The workhorse instrument in the Core, a Philips Sonos 5500 clinical imager adapted for rodent research, is obsolete. The entire platform has been discontinued, and some components are no longer serviceable by the vendor. The requested instrument is a VisualSonics Vevo 2100 imager, operating on a platform specifically designed for small animal imaging at very high frame rates. The Vevo 2100 operates probes with spatial resolution up to 4.7-fold higher than existing equipment, which will allow visualization of smaller structures (e.g. heart valves and fetal cardiac chambers) required by Users. The Vevo will provide consistent reliable color Doppler imaging and consistent reliable spectral Doppler velocimetry, neither of which can be trusted with present equipment. The requested Vevo 2100 manages image data using an open-architecture format, which allows data archiving and analysis using standard computer hardware and software. This will replace the present system, which is proprietary, and which is no longer able to be serviced by the vendor in the event of hardware or software failure. Core personnel have confirmed the superiority of the requested instrument by imaging local mice of interest during a demonstration of the instrument within the confines of the Cardiovascular Phenotype Core, and have affirmed that the requested instrument is uniquely capable of meeting the future needs of Users. Core personnel have also confirmed the ability to manage and analyze image data using open-source software and generic hardware. Substantial institutional support for this proposal includes the following commitments: waiver of overhead charges for the Core, assumption of the cost of the service contract, salary support for technical personnel, and trade-in of an existing imager housed in a closed lab, for the purpose of reducing the purchase cost to NIH.
Funding is requested to purchase equipment to image cardiovascular function in rodents which display salient genetic and physiologic features of human disease states. Application of this equipment will lead to improved understanding of the causes and treatments for diseases which cause major morbidity and mortality in humans.
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