Abstract #3715

An MR-Compatible Preclinical Sonication Platform for Focused Ultrasound Therapy & Monitoring in Animal Models

Adam Christian Waspe^1,2, Meaghan O'Reilly¹, Jiawen Zhang¹, Yaseen Khan¹, Anthony Chau¹, Rajiv Chopra^1,2, Kullervo Hynynen^1,2

¹Imaging Research, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; ²Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

A preclinical sonication platform has been developed for focused-ultrasound therapy and monitoring in animal models. A spherically-focused transducer is submerged within a closed water tank and is mechanically steered by an MR-compatible three-axis robotic positioner. The positioner can rapidly raster the transducer to multiple targets with a 1 Hz repetition frequency, enabling high-throughput animal investigations. An onboard RF power meter and piezoelectric hydrophone enable the monitoring of acoustic emissions during the sonication process, which provides insight into the ultrasound bioeffects occurring in vivo. This platform enables high throughput ultrasound enhanced therapy and monitoring involving large numbers of small animals.