VasoTracker: An open access pressure myography platform
Authors: Wilson Calum , Lawton Penelope F , Lee Matthew D , Saunter Christopher D , Girkin John M , McCarron John G 
Published: June 2021

Pressure myography has long been the gold standard technique for assessing the function of blood vessels ex vivo. The technique utilizes diameter measurement of isolated, pressurized arteries to report on the functional activity of smooth muscle and/or endothelial cells. However, despite the capability of the pressure myograph to assess vascular function, its widespread adoption has been hampered by the cost and inflexibility of the available commercial systems.

Here, we present a complete, open source platform for performing pressure myography, based on Arduino hardware and μManager software. VasoTracker includes all components that would be expected of a commercial pressure myograph system (heated vessel chamber, temperature controller, pressure monitor, computer, camera, microscope, and acquisition/analysis software), but can be built for a fraction of the cost ($4000 for VasoTracker versus >$40,000 for commercial alternatives). As part of the open source movement, the design of VasoTracker is extensively documented on our website (http://www.vasotracker.com/), where we provide full descriptions of the required hardware and software, and provide parts lists and instructions to enable anyone to build their own pressure myograph. The fully integrated system enables the investigation of artery function using a wide array of protocols, offering the ability to study myogenic responses and pressure‐diameter relationships as well as smooth muscle contraction and endothelium‐dependent dilation.

The VasoTracker software is a data acquisition and blood vessel diameter measurement interface that, although designed to complement the VasoTracker hardware, can be used to acquire images of blood vessels using the large array of cameras and microscopes supported by μManager. As such, the software can be used to provide existing imaging set‐ups with the capability to measure blood vessel diameter online. The software acquires, displays and records video images, and automatically measures the diameter of mounted blood vessels. In addition, temperature and pressure data can be recorded and user interventions (such as the addition of pharmacological agents) can be logged. Each parameter is conveniently displayed, and blood vessel diameter is graphed in real time.

In releasing VasoTracker, we provide the vascular community with an inexpensive, transparent and fully customizable tool for studying blood vessel function. We believe that the low entry barrier and the potential for future developments of VasoTracker provides researchers with a platform to expand and enhance the pressure myography technique with tailored vascular reactivity experiments.

Support or Funding Information

This work was funded by the Wellcome Trust (204682/Z/16/Z; 202924/Z/16/Z) and the British Heart Foundation (PG/16/54/32230; PG16/82/32439), whose support is gratefully acknowledged.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.