ACQUIRING A 3T PRISMA FOR NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH AT WSU

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: This application proposes the collaborative purchase of a Siemens 3T PRISMA scanner with 150mT/m gradients for human research, sited at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, Michigan. The PRISMA will replace a 12-year old Siemens VERIO, which has reached the end of its useful lifetime and will no longer be supported by the manufacturer past software version VB19. The PRISMA is the world standard for 3T imaging. Over the last three decades, the WSU MR imaging community has contributed medical imaging technology including MR sequence design and software development some of which has been adopted worldwide. Researchers at WSU are studying the microvasculature of grey and white matter tissue in neurological conditions and disorders (multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease). Other NIH-funded research is focused on understanding fetal/postnatal development; neural correlates between the brain and behavior/cognition; dysfunctions of circuits/networks in disorders; and the impact of stress/trauma and substance use on brain function. In the last five years, WSU’s MR imaging community—and base of extramurally-funded research—has grown. Fourteen (14) NIH-funded investigators across four Schools and Colleges are now actively engaged in human imaging studies. A data harmonization plan is provided. Between 2016-2020, external funding for neuroscience-related research increased from $4M to $7M. Not only is the VERIO near capacity, but even in the short-term, it is unable to accommodate new high-end MR projects due to its outdated capabilities. Since its installation in 2009, Siemens high field 3T imaging technology has advanced. It now includes multi- channel receive coil systems, multi-channel transmit, and higher gradients. The 150mT/m ultra-strong gradients of the PRISMA will dramatically improve the spatial and temporal resolution of MR imaging—critical for detecting finer anatomical structures and enhancing tissue characterization of brain microstructure. The PRISMA offers new software, sequences, fast imaging methods, and a variety of technical imaging advances not available on our VERIO. Immediately, the PRISMA will: (a) support 11 major and 3 minor users, (b) accelerate >$28M in NIH and other sponsored research and enable future awards, (c) position WSU to continue to drive innovative MR imaging techniques, and (d) support the regional MR community. The PRISMA will be the only scanner of its kind in Eastern Michigan. WSU is committed to support the purchasing of the 3T PRISMA ($1.2M cost share) and will provide up to $425K/annually for core infrastructure and gap funding for the MR Core Research Facility (MRRF). In addition to research, the PRISMA will be used for graduate and post-graduate training. MRRF Director and PI E. Mark Haacke instituted a dual title program in imaging and helped create a division of Biomedical Engineering (BME) within the School of Medicine. The PRISMA will replace the VERIO (which will be decommissioned) as the hub for all imaging. WSU’s future neuroscience research requires advanced imaging capabilities; the PRISMA will improve productivity of 18 NIH studies and overall competitiveness for future work.