Bringing high-resolution acoustic ultrasound to see tiny blood vessels
Academic-Industrial Partnership for Translation of Acoustic Angiography
A new ultrasound method that makes clear pictures of tiny blood vessels to help people with suspected cancer or other vascular conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11210471 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project is developing an advanced ultrasound approach called acoustic angiography that uses special probes and tiny contrast bubbles to highlight very small blood vessels. The technique transmits at low frequencies and listens for high-frequency echoes so images show microvasculature with little background noise. Researchers have used it in animals and human tissue and are working to adapt the hardware and processing for clinical use. The goal is to make it possible to spot abnormal vessel patterns linked to cancer and other diseases at earlier stages.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with suspected or early-stage cancers (for example breast lesions) or patients where detailed microvascular imaging could help diagnosis or treatment planning.
Not a fit: Patients without conditions that affect tiny blood vessels or those who cannot receive ultrasound contrast agents are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier and more accurate detection of cancers and other diseases by clearly imaging very small blood vessels.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical animal studies and human tissue work have shown strong, promising images and separation of tumor versus healthy vessels, but wide clinical use is still new.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dayton, Paul a — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Dayton, Paul a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.