COBRE: OK MED RES FOUND: CORE IV: MRI IMAGING IN VIVO

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The general objective of the MRI/MRS Core facility is to provide non-invasive in vivo monitoring capabilities that can be used to assess morphological, physiological, pathophysiological and metabolic processes that occur during progressive stages of the pathogenesis of most diseases. A major focus of the MRI/MRS Core facility is to study the in vivo pathogenesis of various aspects of cardiovascular diseases in experimental transgenic mice or rat models. At least three of the 5 proposed projects will utilize the MRI/MRS Core facility as a major component and significantly benefit from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies. The remaining 2 proposed projects will possibly use MRI and/or MRS techniques in future proposed in vivo projects. As a result it is of the utmost importance that the MRI/MRS Core is established and that it directly interacts with each of the researchers respective to the proposed projects as discussed in further detail below. The core will be able to specifically provide in vivo (1) morphological assessment that will provide "microscopic" histology information in any cardiovascular-associated tissue or vascular vessel up to 100 #m resolution, (2) vascular specific images in the form of magnetic resonance angiography, (3) vascular flow velocity, (4) contrast agent image enhancement of cardiovascular pathogenesis with the use of recently-developed vascular-specific contrast agents, (5) contrast agent image enhancement of specific endothelial receptors that are involved in the pathogenesis of a cardiovascular disease using newlydeveloped monoclonal antibodies tagged with a contrast agent, and (6) metabolic processes relating to changes in either tissue injury or bioenergetics. The MRI/MRS Core facility will be established in the newly-proposed Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation MRI/MRS Facility located in the Bell Building, under the direction of Dr. Rheal A. Towner.