Dataset provided for : Sensing Ultrasound Localization Microscopy reveals glomeruli in rats and humans

Abstract : Estimation of glomerular function is a key element in the diagnosis of kidney disease. However, the study of glomeruli in the clinic remains indirect through urine and blood tests. Recent imaging technique called Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) originated from the ability to record continuous movements of individual microbubbles in the bloodstream. Although it improved the resolution of vascular imaging up to tenfold, the imaging of the smallest vessels had yet to be reported.

We acquired ultrasound sequences from living humans and rats and then applied filtering dividing the data set into slow-moving and fast-moving microbubbles. We performed a double tracking to highlight and characterize this new population of microbubbles with singular behaviors: we called this technique “sensing ULM” (sULM). We used post-mortem micro-CT for side-by-side confirmation in rats.

In this study, we report the observation of microbubbles flowing in capillaries bundles, i.e. the glomeruli, in the kidney in living humans and rats. We introduce a set of analysis tools dedicated to extracting quantitative information from individual microbubbles, like the remanence time or the normalized distance.

As glomeruli play a key role in kidney function, their observation could yield a deeper understanding of kidney diseases and provide a diagnostic tool for patients. More generally, it will bring imaging capabilities closer to the functional units of organs, which is one of the keys to understanding most diseases, like cancers, diabetes, or kidney failures.   

Academic reference to be cited : Denis, Bodard, Hingot, Chavignon, Battaglia, Renault, Lager, Aissani, Hélénon, Correas, and Couture. Sensing Ultrasound Localization Microscopy reveals glomeruli in rats and humans, eBioMedicine, 2023.

Related scripts and software application : https://github.com/EngineerJB/akebia

(New ! published in June 2024) Raw data : https://zenodo.org/records/11395562

Corresponding authors :

• Article : Louise Denis, louise.denis@sorbonne-universite.fr, Sylvain Bodard, sylvain.bodard@aphp.fr
• Scripts, and codes : Louise Denis, louise.denis@sorbonne-universite.fr, Jacques Battaglia, jacques.battaglia@sorbonne-universite.fr
• Materials, collaborations, rights and others: Olivier Couture, olivier.couture@sorbonne-universite.fr