Project description
3D imaging of blood flow in the heart and brain
The vascular, or circulatory, system contains a large network of small and large vessels that carry blood and lymph throughout the body. Monitoring blood flow is paramount for the prompt diagnosis of microcirculation dysfunction and disease. Funded by the European Research Council, the MicroflowLife project aims to advance a previously developed non-invasive ultrasound microscopy method that can quantify blood flow in organs. Researchers plan to extend the applicability of the technology to 3D imaging of the microcirculation through bones, which presents a challenge. The MicroflowLife system will allow clinicians to monitor blood flow in the heart and brain of patients with cardiovascular diseases or brain tumours.
Objective
Blood circulation is essential to organs functions and occurs through a complex network of vessels with diameters varying from several millimetres for large arteries to only a few microns for small capillaries. Dysfunctions in the microcirculation are early markers of many diseases, which are however diagnosed at later stage, when observable symptoms become visible at larger scales. Mapping blood flows across several spatial scales at depth in organs is therefore crucial for early diagnosis and monitoring of diseases, but it remains a major challenge in clinical medical imaging. Our laboratory Physics for Medicine Paris has introduced in 2015 ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM), a non-invasive method to map and quantify blood flows at depth in organs down to a micron scale resolution, opening avenues for medical imaging. However, 2D ULM is highly operator-dependent because probe positioning is critical to view the appropriate cross-section. Imaging the whole-organ in 3D is therefore crucial for clinical practice, and for a comprehensive investigation of organs functions. Capturing large 3D volumes through the bones such as the skull or the rib cage is a further challenge in ultrasound imaging: acoustic energy losses due to reflection and distortion of ultrasound waves at the bone interface significantly reduce the imaging sensitivity. The objective of MicroflowLife is to develop ultrasensitive 3D ULM through bones for mapping the microcirculation of the whole-heart and the whole-brain. Our approach relies on the development of novel ultrasonic multi-lens probes, combined with new acquisition sequences and processing methods. Our technology and methods will be first validated in vitro and in vivo, and then translated clinically in first-in-human studies. Feasibility of cardiac and cerebral applications will be assessed in two morbid diseases associated with microcirculation alteration: coronary microvascular dysfunction and brain glioblastoma tumors.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75654 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.