Lung Anatomy + Particle Deposition (lapd) Mouse Archive

The mouse is the most commonly used animal model for toxicology risk assessments and tobacco smoke exposure. Because it is not possible to study every substance exposure or varying exposure conditions, mathematical models and computer simulations are employed to fill the gap or to extend the range of experimental data. However, computational toxicology is limited in its application to mouse inhalation exposure studies because of the lack of high-resolution accurate airway geometries needed for modeling and site-specific particle deposition data. By combining the unique imaging capabilities of the Imaging Cryomicrotome at the University of Washington with the expertise in highly-automated airway segmentation algorithms from the University of Iowa, we have developed methods to provide high-resolution 3D geometries of the four most commonly studied mice strains along with site-specific airway particle dosimetry in the same animals. All datasets are freely available and can be used to accelerate investigation of health and diseases related to the respiratory system.