About the Lab
The Advanced Imaging and Noninvasive Operations (ADINO) Ultrasound Laboratory is operated by Assistant Professor Timothy Bigelow. The goal of the research conducted in the ADINO Ultrasound Laboratory is to improve medical ultrasound. This goal has two main thrusts:
- To improve the diagnostic effectiveness of medical ultrasound. Past and current projects in this area have included quantifying the scattering properties of tissue to diagnose cancer without the need for an invasive needle biopsy, and applying statistical signal processing to quantify cervical ripening. If we can detect cervical ripening, then we could determine if a woman is at risk for preterm delivery weeks before contractions actually begin.
- To improve the therapeutic effectiveness of medical ultrasound. Currently, we are developing an ultrasound therapy system to treat cancer in the liver. We have also done studies that successfully treated bacterial biofilms using ultrasound. These biofilms are a major concern when they form on medical implants and currently require a replacement of the implant. Ultrasound is a highly attractive noninvasive alternative to this surgery. In the future, we also would like to use ultrasound assisted gene/drug delivery to cure genetic diseases such as Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome.
Location
- 1045 ECpE Building Addition, Iowa State University
Equipment
- a z.one Ultrasound System from ZONARE Medical Systems, Inc. (with a L8-3 Linear Array Transducer and a L14-5sp Intra-operative Linear Array)
- a 1140LA E&I Power Amplifier (which operates in conjunction with a National Instruments arbitrary waveform generator card to generate therapy pules)
- a Panametrics-NDT 200 MHz 5900 pulser/receiver
- a computer controlled three-axis Velmex micropositioning system