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Fine-resolution mapping of micro vasculature after placental transport of acoustic nanodrops

Award Number: R21HD097485
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2022

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Fine-resolution mapping of micro vasculature after placental transport of acoustic nanodrops - Project Summary/Abstract A fundamental question in developmental biology is how speciﬁc molecules and genetic pathways control mor- phogenesis during embryonic development. Recent studies have shown that many of the same molecules and genetic pathways affecting organogenesis are also involved in vascular development and patterning during an- giogenesis. A major challenge is to develop rapid, in vivo mouse-embryo imaging methods that provide the ability to analyze organ and vascular patterning with ﬁne resolution. The goal of this proposal is to establish the feasibility of transporting acoustic nanodrops (NDs) through the pla- centa in order to map vasculature of the embryonic mouse, in utero, with super-resolution, plane-wave ultrasonic imaging. Perﬂuorocarbon NDs can be vaporized by an acoustic excitation and converted to gas ﬁlled acoustic contrast agents. After vaporization, the NDs reach a size on the order of 1 m and appear as bright points in an ultrasound image. We will formulate ND compositions of different size, charge and perﬂuorocarbon core. We will evaluate ﬂuorescent ND compositions to determine which NDs, after injection into the maternal mouse tail vein, pass through the placenta into the embryonic circulation and select the most promising composition in terms of size and transport efﬁciency. We will quantify the acoustic pressures at which the selected NDs vaporize. The most promising ND in terms of vaporization threshold will be injected into the maternal tail vein of a mouse and, after entering the embryonic circulation, the NDs will be activated with an acoustic pulse. Plane-wave ul- trasound and super-resolution methods will then be utilized to detect and localize activated NDs at ﬁne-spatial and -temporal resolution as they move through the embryonic circulation. Feasibility of vascular mapping in a single plane will be evaluated. Because this approach relies on tracking point targets, the length scale that can be resolved, on the order of 20 m, is much less than the lateral beamwidth of the 18-MHz linear-array acous- tic ﬁeld. The ability to activate NDs that have passed through the placenta and to perform noninvasive, in utero contrast-enhanced imaging has high potential to revolutionize the way we study organogenesis and angiogenesis in widely utilized models of normal and abnormal embryonic development.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2022	2020	RIVERSIDE RESEARCH INSTITUTE	156 WILLIAM ST 9TH FL	NEW YORK	NY	10038	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	9/21/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $205,356 )
2020	2020	RIVERSIDE RESEARCH INSTITUTE	156 WILLIAM ST 9TH FL	NEW YORK	NY	10038	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	7/4/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$205,356
														Subtotal = $205,356

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $236,254 )
2019	2019	RIVERSIDE RESEARCH INSTITUTE	156 WILLIAM ST 9TH FL	NEW YORK	NY	10038	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	7/24/2019	NEW	$236,254
2019	2019	RIVERSIDE RESEARCH INSTITUTE	156 WILLIAM ST 9TH FL	NEW YORK	NY	10038	NEW YORK	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	1	8/23/2019	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $236,254

Grand Total All Awards = $441,610

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Fine-resolution mapping of micro vasculature after placental transport of acoustic nanodrops

Award Number: R21HD097485

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2022

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