High-resolution ultrasound that images tiny blood vessels
Academic-Industrial Partnership for Translation of Acoustic Angiography
They are testing a new ultrasound method that makes tiny blood vessels visible to help find cancers earlier.
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-11169673 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project develops a new ultrasound approach called acoustic angiography that uses dual-frequency ultrasound probes and tiny injected microbubble contrast agents to create very clear pictures of microvessels. The system sends low-frequency sound and listens for high-frequency echoes from microbubbles to produce high-resolution, low-background images of vessels about 100 microns wide. In animal studies and early human tissue scans it has shown clear differences between cancerous and healthy tissue, and the team is working to adapt the equipment and software for use in patients. The work includes building clinical-ready hardware, improving image processing, and testing the technique at clinical sites.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people being evaluated for possible small tumors (for example early breast lesions) or individuals at higher risk for cancers who can undergo contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging.
Not a fit: People who cannot receive ultrasound contrast agents, those with conditions unrelated to microvascular changes, or those seeking treatment rather than imaging are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable earlier and more accurate detection of very small tumors and other microvascular disease using a noninvasive ultrasound scan.
How similar studies have performed: Related acoustic angiography methods have shown promising results in animal models and early human tissue imaging, but broader clinical testing remains limited.
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.