Phase II year
2011
(last award dollars: 2012)
Low cost high frequency (15, 20 and 25 MHz), and high resolution medical imaging linear array transducers will be designed and constructed for commercial sale under the direction and design of the NIH Resource Center for Ultrasonic Transducer Technology at the University of Southern California. A newly developed high performance ultrasonic scanner, the UltraVision, with the unique feature of having its high speed digital functions entirely within a large Field Programmable Gate Array chip, will be reprogrammed to accommodate the transducers. The UltraVision supports the very advanced features of elastography and optoacoustics and these modes will continue to be functional at these high frequencies. The system will initially be targeted to the morphological and functional imaging of cancer tumors in small animals. The animal studies will be under the direction of the Biomedical Engineering Department of the University of Texas at Austin where Associate Professor Stanislav Emelianov has already guided the UltraVision's design of optoacoustics and elastography. The initial aim is to provide researchers with an accessible tool for cancer research in small animals that will reduce the cost of the science and animal usage. Bringing the new modalities of functional imaging will also increase the specificity of cancer detection and staging. The long term goal is to develop an instrument that will be capable of supporting the emerging field of molecular specific imaging with antibody conjugated nano particles. This new field of optoacoustic imaging of nano particles is very compelling due to their sensitivity, the ability to synthesize their optical spectral absorption, and their non-toxicity. The transducers will be constructed on a 2-2 piezocomposite design known to the investigators Drs. Cannata and Shung and transferred to WinProbe where they will be set up for construction in volumes to be commercialized. The modification to the UltraVision will be largely performed in Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language, which is not a simple task but it is the only method of accommodating the needs of performing the functions at the required speeds and costs. The acoustic lines will be formed by interlacing and cross-correlation to achieve a very high resolution performance. As the UltraVision Medical Ultrasound System is being commercialized for Breast cancer discrimination and the ageing of thrombi, its price savings from production volume will be shared into the research environment.
Public Health Relevance: This project develops high frequency transducers for a newly developed and uniquely designed medical ultrasonic scanner to image small anatomical structures and to display their functionality. Initially targeted for use in the research of cancer with small animals, its future is seen in the emerging field of functional imaging of the human sentinel lymph nodes with contrast of cancer attaching nano particles. The modifications to the system will be designed to preserve the scanners very low equipment cost.
Thesaurus Terms: Absorption;Acoustic;Acoustics;Address;Animal Experimental Use;Animal Experimentation;Animal Research;Animals;Artifacts;Aspiration, Respiratory;Biomedical Engineering;Breathing;California;Cancer Detection;Cancer Staging;Cancer Of Breast;Cancers;Cell Communication And Signaling;Cell Signaling;Characteristics;Clinical;Clinical Research;Clinical Study;Clinical Trials, Phase I;Code;Coding System;Color;Communication;Contrast Agent;Contrast Drugs;Contrast Media;Costs And Benefits;Custom;Detection;Devices;Diagnosis, Ultrasound;Diagnostic Neoplasm Staging;Disease;Disorder;Early-Stage Clinical Trials;Echography;Echotomography;Elements;Environment;Equipment;Frequencies (Time Pattern);Frequency;Functional Imaging;Future;Generations;Goals;Hand;Head And Neck, Thyroid;Heart;Housing;Human;Human, General;Image;Imagery;Inhalation;Inhaling;Inspiration, Respiratory;Instrumentation, Other;Intracellular Communication And Signaling;Intravenous;Investigation;Investigators;Laboratory Animal Production And Facilities;Language;Lateral;Lymph Node Proper;Malignant Cell;Malignant Neoplasms;Malignant Tumor;Malignant Tumor Of The Breast;Malignant Neoplasm Of Breast;Mammals, Mice;Man (Taxonomy);Man, Modern;Medical;Medical Imaging;Medical Imaging, Ultrasound;Methodology, Research;Methods;Mice;Modality;Modification;Molecular;Morphologic Artifacts;Motion;Movement;Murine;Mus;Ndul;Nih;National Institutes Of Health;National Institutes Of Health (U.S.);Neoplasm Staging;Nervous Mouse;Nodule;Optics;Organ;Penetration;Performance;Phase;Phase 1 Clinical Trials;Phase I Clinical Trials;Phase I Study;Physiologic Imaging;Polymers;Power Sources;Power Supplies;Price;Process;Process Of Absorption;Production;Programs (Pt);Programs [publication Type];Protocol;Protocols Documentation;Radiopaque Media;Research;Research Animal Facility;Research Design;Research Methodology;Research Methods;Research Personnel;Research Resources;Researchers;Resolution;Resources;Reticuloendothelial System, Lymph Node;Running;Sbir;Sbirs (R43/44);Sales;Sampling;Savings;Scanning;Science;Sentinel Lymph Node;Sentinel Node;Shapes;Shivering;Shiverings;Signal Transduction;Signal Transduction Systems;Signaling;Small Business Innovation Research;Small Business Innovation Research Grant;Specificity;Speed;Speed (Motion);Staging;Structure;Study Type;Surface;System;System, Loinc Axis 4;Technology;Testing;Texas;Thrombus;Thyroid;Thyroid Gland;Time;Transducers;Tumor Cell;Tumor Staging;Ultrasonic;Ultrasonic Imaging;Ultrasonic Transducer;Ultrasonics;Ultrasonogram;Ultrasonography;Ultrasound Test;Ultrasound Transducer;Ultrasound, Medical;United States National Institutes Of Health;Universities;Visualization;Absorption;Acoustic Imaging;Age Discrimination;Analog;Antibody Conjugate;Anticancer Research;Arm;Attenuation;Austin;Base;Bean;Bioengineering;Bioengineering /Biomedical Engineering;Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering;Biological Signal Transduction;Body Movement;Cancer Cell;Cancer Research;Clinical Applicability;Clinical Application;Clinical Trial Phase I;Computerized Data Processing;Cost;Data Processing;Design;Design And Construction;Designing;Diagnostic Ultrasound;Digital;Disease /Disorder;Disease/Disorder;High Risk;Imaging;Improved;Innovate;Innovation;Innovative;Inspiration;Instrument;Instrumentation;Lymph Gland;Lymph Nodes;Malignancy;Malignant Breast Neoplasm;Meetings;Nano Particle;Nano Sized;Nanoparticle;Nanosized;Neoplasm /Cancer;Neoplasm/Cancer;Neoplastic Cell;Phase 1 Study;Phase 1 Trial;Phase I Trial;Plasmonics;Pricing;Professor;Programs;Protocol, Phase I;Public Health Relevance;Signal Processing;Sonogram;Sonography;Sound Measurement;Study Design;Theories;Tool;Tumor;Tumor Growth;Ultrasound;Ultrasound Imaging;Ultrasound Scanning;University;Vector
