Intraoperative 3T MRI Scanner for Minimally Invasive Therapy

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose the purchase of a unique Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging system for developing state-of-the-art image-guidance techniques for minimally-invasive therapies. The integrated instrumentation system includes a high-performance clinical MRI scanner, a multi-modality surgical table, intraoperative imaging modalities, and navigation systems to support new and ongoing research at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and adjacent institutions located within the Longwood Medical area. This is a tate-of-the art system that has been developed by GE Healthcare as the core of an initiative called the Operating Room of the Future. If funded, this instrument system will help us to implement multi-modality navigational techniques for image-guidance during open surgeries, minimally invasive percutaneous therapies, vascular interventions, and thermal ablation of tumors (including a revolutionary non-invasive MRI- guided focused ultrasound technology). Over the past decade, research groups at BWH have played a pioneering role in the field of Image-Guided Therapy and have developed a program comprising five discrete areas: Magnetic Resonance Therapy, Surgical Planning, Tumor Ablation, MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound, and Bioengineering and Imaging. Basic Clinical Research in these areas has evolved into highly multidisciplinary activities wherein technology and expertise are shared; modalities are combined; and applications are transferred across surgical domains and anatomical systems. We are now combining our research into a new integrated system and a new paradigm where several advanced imaging modalities (including MRI, X-Ray fluoroscopy, PET-CT and 3D ultrasound), navigational tools and novel image-guided therapy delivery systems will be integrated. We have assembled a portfolio of more than 12 NIH funded research projects, 3 NIH Centers, and 30 local investigators and collaborators who will directly benefit from the proposed instrumentation. In addition to this, we have a number of key grant proposals under review and several externally funded projects and collaborations that will benefit from access to this high-end instrumentation. With this research support, a proven track-record in image-guided therapy, and a strong institutional commitment, we are uniquely prepared to deploy an operating room equipped with a state-of- the-art interventional imaging system in order to develop novel therapies.