High-Throughput Doppler Toolbox for Preclinical Drug Development

Quantification of hemodynamics may be invaluable in a drug development setting. However, one of the challenges in the application of imaging technologies for compound screening purposes is the large volume of data in a short amount of time. This article focuses on methods developed for large-scale hemodynamic quantification, as measured from high-frequency Doppler ultrasound in rodents. An integrative semiautomated method for processing Doppler ultrasound images is described and validated. In the context of experimental biology, this toolbox allows for a comprehensive hemodynamic evaluation of in vivo physiology as the result of medical intervention, thus enabling rapid compound screening in preclinical drug development. (JALA 2010;15:287-96)