FUSF Funded Research Projects
Image-Guided Drug Delivery to Tumors Using Ultrasound-Activated Perfluorocarbon
Principal Investigator: Natalya Rapoport, Ph.D., D.Sc., Research Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah
Co-Investigators: Jill Shea, Ph.D., Research Associate, Department of Surgery, University of Utah; Allison Payne, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research, University of Utah; Nick Todd, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research, University of Utah; Courtney Scaife, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Utah School of Medicine; Dennis Parker, Ph.D., Professor of Radiology & Biomedical Informatics, Utah Center of Advanced Imaging Research, University of Utah; Douglas Christensen, Ph.D., Professor of Bioengineering & Electrical Engineering, University of Utah
Award: $99,967
Funding Period: April 15, 2011 – April 14, 2012
Abstract: It is still not known which mode of ultrasound action—thermal or mechanical—plays the predominant role in ultrasound-mediated drug delivery. This project will combine results from two powerful imaging modalities, MRI and RFP imaging, to better understand and quantify the major effects. Several experimental variables will be tested in vivo using RFP-transfected pancreatic cancer MiaPaCa2 subcutaneous tumors grown in nude mice, providing information to better understand the mechanisms involved in ultrasound-mediated drug delivery.
Progress Reports: 6-month progress report
