Ultra-Compact MRI: A new cost-effective tool optimized for developmental biology

超紧凑型 MRI：针对发育生物学优化的新型经济高效工具

• 批准号: 8200214
• 负责人: Andrew F McDowell
• 金额: $ 31.73万
• 依托单位: ABQMR, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-10 至 2013-03-09
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8200214
• 关键词: Address; Adipose tissue; African; Animal Model; Area; Automobile Driving; Biological; Biological Models; Biological Process; Biology; Biomechanics; Biomedical Research; Cell Nucleus; Cell division; Confocal Microscopy; Data; Data Quality; Detection; Development; Developmental Biology; Devices; Disease; Embryo; Embryo Research; Embryology; Embryonic Development; Fatty acid glycerol esters; Funding; General Population; Generations; Goals; Growth; Histological Techniques; Human; Image; Individual; Kidney Diseases; Laboratories; Laboratory Research; Leadership; Life; Location; Longitudinal Studies; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Miniaturization; Mission; Motion; National Center for Research Resources; Oocytes; Optical Coherence Tomography; Organism; Organogenesis; Outcome; Pattern; Positioning Attribute; Protocols documentation; Public Health; Publishing; Pus; Rana; Reproduction; Research; Research Personnel; Resolution; Resources; Sampling; Scientist; Series; Signal Transduction; Site; Slice; Specimen; Staging; Techniques; Technology; Testing; Thick; Three-Dimensional Imaging; Time; Tissues; United States National Institutes of Health; Water; Work; Xeno; Xenopus; Xenopus laevis; Xenopus oocyte; Xenopus sp.; base; cold temperature; cost; cost effective; gastrulation; gene function; human disease; imaging modality; improved; innovation; instrumentation; magnetic field; meetings; miniaturize; new technology; next generation; operation; prototype; research and development; research study; tool

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Research using Xenopus (frog) embryos, a model system of major importance in many areas of biomedicine, is hampered in a fundamental way by their opacity. No device for non-destructively imaging the interiors of these specimens is generally available. The long-term goal at ABQMR, Inc. is to utilize unique capabilities in the field of miniaturized NMR and MRI instrumentation to develop new devices to overcome such problems in biomedical research and other fields. The objective for this application is a mature Ultra- Compact MRI (UC-MRI) prototype, ready for deployment in research labs, optimized in size, cost, and complexity to match the constraints of Xenopus embryology research. Preliminary experiments on phantoms, oocytes, and fixed embryos show that images at the necessary spatial and temporal resolutions are within reach of the current generation of miniaturized hardware. The central hypothesis driving this effort is that a fully miniaturized UC-MRI device can be constructed and operated in the biology research laboratory to produce images of live embryos of sufficient quality to answer important questions in Xenopus research. The rationale for this work is that the availability of a Xenopus-optimized UC-MRI device will dramatically increase the access to non-destructive MRI technology, improving data quality and enabling new types of research experiments utilizing Xenopus in a wide range of biomedical fields. The project has three staged specific aims. First, build a next generation UC-MRI prototype that meets the needs of Xenopus embryology research. Preliminary work indicates the required basic improvements: increased magnetic field gradient strength, lower temperature operation at 15: C and enhanced tissue contrast via selective fatty tissue excitation. Second, demonstrate that the UC-MRI can acquire research-quality Xenopus embryo images. Working in the R&D lab with slow growing late-stage embryos, the operating protocol of the Xenopus-optimized UC-MRI will be adjusted to provide images of sufficient quality to allow reproduction of published research analyses. Third, demonstrate the acquisition of research-quality images in a research setting. Images of fast growing early- stage embryos will be acquired by developmental biologists in their own lab. Given that existing prototypes are very small, rugged, and of modest cost, the accomplishment of these aims will show that this new, technically innovative miniaturization of MRI technology is fully capable of research-quality imaging in the hands of typical researchers. The ultimate product, a highly miniaturized UC-MRI device optimized in all respects for use in Developmental Biology, is significant because it establishes universal access to MRI instrumentation, instrumentation that overcomes the essential limitation imposed by opacity, yielding new and better data in Xenopus embryo research, and positively impacting many of the biomedical research areas funded by the NIH. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research is relevant to public health because it develops an important, currently missing tool for Xenopus embryology research, non-destructive imaging, which will further enhance the utility of this organism for addressing the fundamental biology of human disease. The project is relevant to the mission of the NCRR because it will establish a new resource for research, the Ultra-Compact MRI, which will allow scientists to advance their understanding of a wide range of diseases.

描述（由申请人提供）：使用Xenopus（Frog）胚胎的研究是一种在生物医学许多领域中具有重要意义的模型系统，并因其不透明度以一种基本的方式受到阻碍。通常没有用于非破坏性成像这些标本内部的设备。 ABQMR，Inc。的长期目标是在微型NMR和MRI仪器领域中利用独特的能力来开发新的设备，以克服生物医学研究和其他领域中的此类问题。此应用的目的是成熟的超紧凑MRI（UC-MRI）原型，可以在研究实验室中部署，在大小，成本和复杂性方面进行了优化，以匹配Xenopus胚胎学研究的约束。对幻影，卵母细胞和固定胚胎的初步实验表明，在必要的空间和时间分辨率处的图像在当前一代的微型硬件范围内。推动这项工作的中心假设是，可以在生物学研究实验室中构建和操作一个完全微型的UC-MRI设备，以产生足够质量的活胚图像，以回答Xenopus研究中的重要问题。这项工作的基本原理是，对异武群岛优化的UC-MRI设备的可用性将大大提高对非破坏性MRI技术的访问，从而提高了数据质量，并促进了在广泛的生物医学领域中利用Xenopus的新类型的研究实验。该项目具有三个阶段的特定目标。首先，建立一个下一代UC-MRI原型，该原型满足爪蟾胚胎学研究的需求。初步工作表明了所需的基本改进：磁场梯度强度提高，在15：C时的温度下降和通过选择性脂肪组织激发增强的组织对比度增强。其次，证明UC-MRI可以获取研究质量的Xenopus胚胎图像。将在R＆D实验室中以缓慢生长的晚期胚胎工作，将调整Xenopus优化的UC-MRI的操作方案，以提供足够质量的图像以允许复制已发表的研究分析。第三，证明在研究环境中获取研究质量图像。发展生物学家将在自己的实验室中获得快速增长的早期胚胎的图像。鉴于现有的原型非常小，坚固且成本适中，这些目标的实现将表明，这种新的，技术上创新的MRI技术的小型化完全能够在典型研究人员手中进行研究质量的成像。最终产品是一种高度微型的UC-MRI设备，在所有方面都优化了用于发育生物学的各个方面，它具有重要意义，因为它建立了普遍访问MRI仪器的访问权限，即克服了不透明度的基本限制，从而在Xenopus Embryo研究中产生了新的和更好的数据，并积极地影响了许多生物医学研究领域的NIH。 公共卫生相关性：拟议的研究与公共卫生有关，因为它开发了一种重要的，目前缺少Xenopus胚胎学研究的工具，非破坏性成像，这将进一步增强该生物体对人类疾病的基本生物学的实用性。该项目与NCRR的使命相关，因为它将建立一个新的研究资源，即超紧凑型MRI，这将使科学家能够提高他们对广泛疾病的理解。