Spiral Volumetric Ultrasound Tomography for Small Animals Imaging

• Grant number: 25/13828-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: January 15, 2026
• End date: January 14, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Medical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Adilton Oliveira Carneiro
• Grantee: Lucas Murilo da Costa
• Supervisor: Mohammad Mehrmohammadi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Rochester (UR), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/07837-5 - Implementation of an ultrasonic platform for generating 3D elastographic images of the breast, BP.DD

Abstract

Ultrasound Tomography (USCT) is a promising imaging technique with significant potential for breast cancer imaging and theranostics applications. A Low-cost USCT prototype has been developed at the Group of Innovation and Medical Instrumentation in Ultrasound (GIIMUS) at University of São Paulo (USP), combining clinical transducers with controlled acquisition protocols to generate 3D breasts images. One of the key developments in USCT lies in the use of specifically designed ultrasonic transducers and sophisticated reconstruction algorithms, enabling imaging with submillimeter resolution. These specialized transducers are not currently available at GIIMUS or its national collaborators. However, they have been explored by a research group of University of Rochester, which focuses on theranostic systems and is developing USCT imaging for theranostic applications. The spiral acquisition, originally developed for X-ray CT, has demonstrated benefits in reducing breathing artifacts and has also been successfully applied in photoacoustic imaging, showing advantages over standard protocols. This project aims to integrate an innovative acquisition method into USCT to enhance volumetric imaging and reduce acquisition time, enabling its application in volumetric theranostic. The technique also holds strong potential for small animal imaging, reducing breathing artifacts.