Console Electronics Upgrade for 11.7T MRI System

描述(由申请人提供)：在这份S10申请中，我们申请资金，为现有的11.7T/8.9厘米垂直孔径显微成像系统购买Bruker Avance III电子控制台升级和配件。现有仪器于2001年安装，部分资金来自国家卫生研究院共享仪器赠款(S10 RR15704)。事实证明，这种磁铁系统对匹兹堡核磁共振生物医学研究中心来说是无价的，每周运行100多个小时。然而，我们现在迫切需要更换电子控制台、软件和附件，因为：(1)主要的电子系统，包括梯度控制器、射频/梯度放大器、数字转换器等，现在都落后于当前技术三代人。这些组件无法运行最现代的图像采集方案，并且更换部件很快将不可用，(2)制造商(Bruker)不再支持我们过时的控制台电子产品的成像软件升级。如果没有软件升级，我们在应用新的和新兴的成像方法以造福我们用户的能力方面受到限制，并且(3)关键硬件组件已经出现故障，例如我们的X核高功率射频放大器，或者处于故障的边缘，例如我们的梯度线圈和几个射频谐振器。现有的11.7T仪器安装在卡内基梅隆大学匹兹堡核磁共振生物医学研究中心。核磁共振中心自1988年以来一直由美国国立卫生研究院(P41 EB-001977)作为生物医学资源中心提供资金。核磁共振中心致力于推进最先进的核磁共振和磁共振波谱(MRS)应用，以使用动物模型了解组织和器官功能，并将这些工具提供给更大的生物医学研究社区。核磁共振中心已经配备了操作和维护仪器的人员和广泛的基础设施。升级后的MRI仪器将服务于NIH支持的大量研究项目，涉及生物医学研究的不同领域，包括细胞跟踪、免疫学、精神病学、心脏病学、器官移植排斥反应、癌症、头部创伤和细胞治疗。总体而言，拟议的设备升级对于保持11.7T仪器作为最先进系统的关键，以支持5个主要用户和12个次要用户正在进行的研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In this S10 application, we are requesting funds to purchase a Bruker Avance III electronics console upgrade and accessories for an existing 11.7T/8.9cm vertical-bore micro imaging system. The existing instrument was installed in 2001 and funded in part by an NIH shared instrumentation grant (S10 RR15704). This magnet system has proved to be invaluable to the Pittsburgh NMR Center for Biomedical Research and runs over 100 hours a week. However, we now have an overwhelming and urgent need to replace the electronics console, software, and accessories because: (1) the major electronics systems, including items such as the gradient controller, RF/gradient amplifiers, digitizers, etc., are now three-generations behind current technologies. These components cannot run the most modern image acquisition schemes, and replacement parts will soon become unavailable, (2) the manufacturer (Bruker) no longer supports imaging software upgrades for our outdated console electronics. Without software upgrades, we are handicapped in our ability to apply new and emerging imaging methods that benefit our users, and (3) key hardware components have already failed, such as our X-nuclei high-power RF amplifier, or on the verge of failing, such as our gradient coil and several RF resonators. The existing 11.7T instrument is housed at the Pittsburgh NMR Center for Biomedical Research at Carnegie Mellon University. The NMR Center has been continuously funded as a Biomedical Resource Center by the NIH (P41 EB-001977) since 1988. The NMR Center is dedicated to advancing state-of-the-art applications MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to understand tissue and organ function using animal models and making these tools available to the larger biomedical research community. The NMR Center already has in place personnel and an extensive infrastructure to operate and maintain the instrument. The availability of upgraded MRI instrumentation will serve a large number of NIH-supported research projects across diverse areas of biomedical research, including cell tracking, immunology, psychiatry, cardiology, organ transplant rejection, cancer, head trauma, and cellular therapy. Overall, the proposed equipment upgrade is critical for maintaining the 11.7T instrument as a state-of-the-art system to support ongoing research for 5 Major and 12 Minor users.