Quantitative acoustic contrast tomography for studying fungal growth and toxicity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9670522-B2
Application number	US-201514592368-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2015
Priority date	Jan 8, 2014
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

Methods for ultrasonically imaging a heterogeneous 3D-cell population without physically probing are provided. The method can comprises: pulsing ultrasound waves having a wave frequency of about 10 MHz to about 2 GHz through a lens rod, wherein the lens rod focuses the ultrasound waves onto the cell population via a concave lens-head (e.g., comprising sapphire), and wherein the cell population is positioned on the reflective surface such that the ultrasound waves are reflected back to the lens-head; receiving the reflected waves through the lens head and the lens rod at a signal receiver; scanning the lens-head across multiple points in the x,y plane; and at each point in the x,y plane, moving the lens-head in a z-direction such that a signal is received at multiple intervals in the z-direction for each point in the x,y plane.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of ultrasonically imaging a heterogeneous 3D-cell population without physically probing, the cell population positioned on a reflective surface to define an x,y plane having a thickness in a z-direction, the method comprising:
pulsing ultrasound waves having a wave frequency of about 10 MHz to about 2 GHz through a lens rod, wherein the lens rod focuses the ultrasound waves onto the cell population via a concave lens-head, and wherein the cell population is positioned on the reflective surface such that the ultrasound waves are reflected back to the lens-head;
receiving the reflected waves through the lens head and the lens rod at a signal receiver;
scanning the lens-head across multiple points in the x,y plane; and
at each point in the x,y plane, moving the lens-head in a z-direction such that a signal is received at multiple intervals in the z-direction for each point in the x,y plane.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reflective surface has a uniform acoustic impedance that is higher than that of the cell population.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the uniform acoustic impedance is on the order of about 3 times higher than that of the cell population.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a medium is positioned on the cell population.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the medium comprises water.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the medium comprises air.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound waves have a wave frequency of about 50 MHz to about 300 MHz.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound waves have a wave frequency of about 85 MHz to about 115 MHz.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lens comprises sapphire.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein pulsing ultrasound waves and receiving the reflected waves are both performed by a piezoelectric transducer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a switch is electrically connected to the piezoelectric transducer.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
toggling the switch such that an electrical connection is alternated from the piezoelectric transducer between a pulser and the signal receiver.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the ultrasound waves are pulsed at a pulse frequency, and wherein the switch operates at the pulsing frequency to pulse the ultrasound waves through the lens rod.

Assignees

• Banerjee Sourav
• Chanda Anindya
• Univ South Carolina

Inventors

• Banerjee Sourav
• Chanda Anindya

Classifications

• G01N29/343

  pulse waves, e.g. particular sequence of pulses, bursts · CPC title

• A61B8/483

  involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data · CPC title

• A61B8/44

  Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device · CPC title

• G01N29/221

  Arrangements for directing or focusing the acoustical waves (electronic orientation or focusing G01N29/262; sound directing or focusing G10K11/26; mechanical steering of sound transducers or their beams G10K11/35) · CPC title

• G01N29/0681

  by acoustic microscopy, e.g. scanning acoustic microscopy · CPC title