3T Whole-Body MRI Scanner for Functional Imaging

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This High End Instrumentation Program proposal requests funds for purchase of a whole-body 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The Major User group consists of nine NIH funded investigators, eight working in functional MRI and one in Cancer research. The Minor User group consists of 15 fMRI researchers, each with potential for NIH funding. The Major Users are from seven academic departments. Their funding consists of 2 P01 and 13 R01 awards. Across Major and Minor users, there are 11 additional MRI based grants of various types. The MRI research program at the Medical College of Wisconsin is based on a General Electric 1.5T Signa whole body scanner purchased in 1984 and a 3T Bruker Medspec head-only scanner purchased in 1992. Both are totally dedicated to research and both are approaching obsolescence. A GE Signa 3.OT LX VWi Base System whole body scanner has been selected at a cost of $2,196,584. The balance of the funds required for purchase will be derived from MCW sources, as will the costs of the RF shielding and preparation of the site. At the time that the actual order is placed, scanners from Siemens and Phillips will also be evaluated. The fMRI team at MCW is large and well funded. It has experience in MRI scanner management. An extensive infrastructure for support of the MRI scanners is in place. The theme of the proposal is enhancement of translational research in fMRI. Increasingly, clinical research studies are underway at MCW that are designed to lead to the use of fMRI in diagnosis of disease and monitoring response to treatment. The new scanner will be in a clinical research environment with additional support from the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) of MCW, which has an imaging core. It will have no clinical fee-for-service usage. The fMRI group at MCW is superbly positioned to provide leadership at a national level in the use of fMRI in medicine.