The research interests of the Lab are mainly related to Measurement, Signal & Image Processing of Ultrasound (& Doppler) data:
- Research and development of tracking of tissue in ultrasound images and of parameters which allow description of stain development in the myocardium. Development of new ‘strain imaging’ process that provides the myocardial activation sequence.
- Production of physiological changes in excitable tissues (cardiac and Neural) by highly focused ultrasound.
- Research and development of signal processing methods for detecting reverberations of ultrasound contrast agents (gas bubbles) for perfusion measurements and pressure measurements, specifically for assessment of carotid plaque vulnerability by quantification of plaque neo-vascularization, and tumor vascularization and perfusion.
- Study of ultrasound contrast agents’ properties as intra-organ blood pressure gauge, specifically of coated microbubbles with various mechanical properties.
- Research and development of a method for producing non-invasively localized cavitation and localized hyperthermia and ablation.
- Research and development of Contrast ultrasound targeted drug/gene delivery;
- Research and development of measurement methods and processing of signals and images (2 dimensional and 3 dimensional) of blood flow and flow velocity, using Doppler ultrasound technology (continuation of a R&D project which was initiated together with the Division of Computer Research and Technology – National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Study of ultrasound methods for estimating tissue changes caused by laser, RF or ultrasound localized heating, for the control of thermo-therapy of cancerous tissue.
- Research and development of signal processing tools and measurement procedures of ultrasound signals for modifying apodization parameters (e.g. by Sub Aperture Receiver technique), for reduced speckle noise and tissue characterization.
Lab facilities:
The lab has recently obtained the GE Healthcare Inc. Vivid S60/S70 prototype with fully digital architecture, a high performance digital ultrasound imaging system with total data management. The lab is also equipped with a specially modified GE VIVID III Ultrasound Imaging System, for direct output of the unprocessed RF data into a separate workstation. This imaging system can also be controlled from a different computer. Also, a VIVIDi is available, with several probes, including pediatric probe that allow image/data acquisition from small animals. The lab is also equipped with ultrasonic transducers high power amplifiers, receivers, function generators, digitizer cards and hydrophones. It also includes a X-Y-Z motorized system, degassing system, etc. The laboratory is equipped with highly sophisticated monitoring devices for measuring multiple sensors (various hydrophones, pressure, flow, electrograms, respiration etc.), and all necessary systems for running a well controlled experiments. Over 24 workstations and computers are available, as well as an HPC Linux server, and software support.