(Toronto, Canada) October 25, 2007: VisualSonics would like to congratulate Dr. Andrej Lyshchik and Dr. John Gore of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, whose paper using the Vevo 770 and MicroMarker Contrast Agents, was selected as the cover paper for the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine. The paper, titled “Molecular imaging of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 expression using targeted contrast-enhanced high-frequency ultrasonography”, validates the utility of the Vevo and MicroMarker for quantification of angiogenesis in tumors in mice.
Cover image of targeted and quantifiedVEGFR2 in a breast cancer tumor in a mouse using the Vevo 770 and MicroMarker targeted contrast agents
“We would like to congratulate the team at Vanderbilt for their innovative research”, said Tom Little, VisualSonics’ CEO. “We are extremely excited with the very positive scientific response we are receiving for MicroMarker contrast agents and their use for quantification of molecular biomarkers of angiogenesis and inflammation, for example. This paper - - and the many other papers that have been appearing since the launch of MicroMarker - - are excellent validations for the utility of contrast-enhance and molecular imaging using micro-ultrasound”. The MicroMarker contrast agent kits have been developed by Bracco Imaging exclusively for VisualSonics for use on the Vevo 770 micro-ultrasound system.
The paper, which validates the use of targeted MicroMarker contrast agents with a isocontrol contrast agent as well as with immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry, concludes that targeted contrast-enhanced high-frequency ultrasonography is an enabling technology for in vivo molecular imaging of VEGFR2 and may be used for noninvasive longitudinal evaluation of tumor angiogenesis in preclinical studies. It also highlights the real-time results and high spatial resolution of the Vevo 770, making this a very powerful molecular imaging modality
About VisualSonics
VisualSonics is the world’s leading developer of high-resolution, ultrasound-based, in vivo micro-imaging systems designed specifically for non-invasive preclinical research. The company’s enabling micro-ultrasound technology, the Vevo 770, allow researchers at the world’s most prestigious pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, hospitals and research centers to conduct genetic research, phenotypic study and drug development.
Micro-ultrasound is one of the fastest growing preclinical imaging modalities. This enabling technology is facilitating research in cardiac and vascular disease, cancer, stem cell research and developmental biology. When compared to other imaging options, only micro-ultrasound has the combination of high-resolution, real-time imaging, in vivo detection and analysis, reasonable cost, ease-of-use, portability and no negative biological effects. More information on VisualSonics can be found at www.visualsonics.com.