Toward translating novel imaging biomarkers from preclinical to clinical settings

Microvascular imaging of the neonatal brain is now feasible with the advent of ultrasound technologies that enable detection of slow flow in smaller vessels. As an advancement from conventional Doppler, microvascular imaging (MVI) technique has been applied in neonatal brain ultrasound scans to better understand how anatomic and functional changes of cerebral microvessels relate to disease diagnostics and prognosis in the neonatal brain. This lecture will introduce about the technique, current and emerging applications of MVI, as well as challenges and future directions of advancing cerebral microvascular markers of neonatal brain health. Some of the invasive methods used to study cerebral physiology and biomarkers in high-fidelity preclinical models are difficult to directly test and validate in vulnerable neonates. As such, this lecture will open up the forum for future directions on how the scientific and medical fields can come together in advancing the clinical validation and integration of novel imaging biomarkers to improve neonatal brain health.