CORE D: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Core (MRIC)

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CORE D: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Core (MRIC) Abstract. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging Core will be located at the UTHSCSA Research Imaging Institute (RII), which is about 5 m miles away from Texas Biomedical Research Institute. The mission of the RII is to provide collaborative access to the biomedical research community advanced, noninvasive, imaging-research methods. This mission is achieved by maintaining a state-of-the-art facility staffed by an internationally recognized team of investigators specializing in the development of imaging methods. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) have outstanding trans-species translational- research potential, being applied to non-human primates (NHP) as readily as to humans. The researchers at the RII have used MRI/MRS for studies of baboon brains, hearts and liver, with 26 such studies listed in the bibliography of this section. The aging-developmental programming research group, under Dr. Peter Nathanielsz' leadership, has been at the forefront of introducing non-invasive, advanced biomedical imaging techniques to the study of developmental programming in the baboon model. Dr. Nathanielsz' team has collaborated with RII investigators for the past decade, a collaboration that informs and motivates this core proposal. RII/MRIC imaging instrumentation & expertise emphasizes MRI and MRS because these jointly provide a huge range of anatomical/structural, functional/physiological and biochemical measures with instrumentation dedicated to non-human primate (NHP) research. RII/MIC instrumentation includes a clinical- grade 3 Tesla MRI/MRS system for primate studies. This system is equipped with 32 radiofrequency channels allowing it to perform functional cardiac and neuro MRI studies by taking advantage of parallel imaging technology. RI studies generated in the MRI Core will be used to measure changes in size, function, bulk flow, tissue perfusion, tissue microstructure and in vivo biochemistry. These studies will be carried out in brain, heart, thymus, skeletal muscle and liver/abdomen. Animal-imaging instrumentation is housed with direct access to a state-of-the art veterinary care facility. All baboon MRI studies will be conducted with a certified veterinarian monitoring the subjects through the procedures. In support of this well-coordinated effort by a highly sophisticated team of investigators, the MRI Core will provide translation imaging resources and expertise. Further, for more than two decades the RII has served as a regional and national shared resource, hosting collaborations with investigators from many other institutions. In this proposal, this role is expanded specifically in relation to the consequences of developmental programming of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome, and their effects on the life-course of normal aging in the baboon model. The MRI Core supports Projects 1, 2, and 3 of this U19 application. The utility of the MRI Core has been established through previous collaborations jointly involving the Southwest National Primate Research Center and the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. !