High-detail ultrasound to image heart blood flow in mice

Murine cardiac vector-flow imaging with high-frequency 2D row-column CMUT arrays

NIH-funded research Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11160673

This project develops a new high-frequency ultrasound tool to capture very fast, tiny blood-flow patterns and heart motion in mice used to study heart disease.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionWeill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11160673 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Researchers are building a high-frequency, 2D ultrasound array and a fast imaging method that can capture full-frame pictures of blood flow and heart motion in mice at sub-millisecond speed. They will test the system on mouse models of heart disease to map complex intracardiac flow and early mechanical changes before obvious damage appears. The approach uses a novel CMUT row-column array and plane-wave vector-flow imaging to get higher-resolution flow and motion data than standard small-animal ultrasound. The goal is to give scientists a better preclinical tool to link blood flow changes with heart dysfunction and speed translational work.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: This project does not enroll people; it focuses on mouse models in a research lab rather than on patient participants.

Not a fit: Patients should not expect direct clinical benefits or access to new imaging from this work right now because it is preclinical and performed in animals.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could help researchers detect early heart dysfunction in preclinical studies and accelerate development of improved treatments for cardiovascular disease.

How similar studies have performed: Vector-flow ultrasound has shown promise in human cardiac imaging, but adapting high-frequency vector-flow methods for mice is novel and largely untested.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Cardiovascular Diseases
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.