Replacement and Upgrade of a 3T MR Scanner for Research



 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application for funding to replace and upgrade a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) system for human subjects that has been in use for research full-time for over a decade at Vanderbilt University. The current scanner is heavily used by over 60 active investigators with NIH funding who rely on high quality MRI and MRS data for diverse research applications. We aim to install a 3Tesla 70-cm bore Ingenia scanner manufactured by Philips Healthcare to replace the existing scanner, which is an aging system no longer fully supported by the manufacturer. MRI is well established as the single most powerful non-invasive imaging modality for studies of soft-tissues. MRI and MRS can be used to provide uniquely valuable information about tissue composition, morphology and function, as well as quantitative descriptions of many underlying biological processes. Our current system unfortunately precludes the exploration of several new avenues of MR research and some new applications are beyond the capabilities of our current machine. The new system will provide three major specific advantages. [1] it will be able to implement new methods such as multi-band acquisitions that cannot be implemented on the current platform, and investigators can be assured of continuing support for several years; [2] it has a larger bore, so we can image larger patients that currently are excluded from studies, and achieve higher RF and main field uniformity. The larger bore is essential to meet the challenges of our local population and to permit more and better studies of the abdomen, spine and breast; [3] the new all-digital architecture with direct conversion of MR signals within the RF coils produces images with higher (40%) signal to noise ratio. In this application we feature 29 selected investigators all of whom are experienced users of the current 3T scanner, in a variety of research applications. Their research projects fall into 4 main categories: (1) Imaging physics, the development of new and improved MR imaging methods: (2) Cancer, and applications of MRI and MRS for diagnosis and clinical management, including the development of imaging biomarkers to assess treatments: (3) Neuroscience, and the application of structural and functional MRI to studies of the architecture and functional organization of the brain, in normal as well as neuropsychiatric conditions: (4) Metabolic Disorders, and the development and applications of advanced MR methods to studies of physiology and biochemistry in vivo. The projects of the Users described herein would require approximately 80% of the useable time available on the scanner, and the remainder would be used for exploratory research and new directions. The scanner will be housed and managed within the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, and will remain a primary research resource for a large group of imaging scientists. The instrument will be supported by an established group of MR imaging experts and support staff. A comprehensive plan has been developed for the financial and technical support of the system as well as for its management, and the system is assured of strong institutional support and oversight.