Improved Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Breast Cancer

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a career development grant proposal to enable Dr. Glen Morrell (the applicant) to develop a long term research program in the application of new methods of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of breast cancer. Dr. Morrell received a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford in 1998, researching novel methods for MRI. He then completed medical school at Stanford and a Diagnostic Radiology residency and fellowship in MRI at the University of Pennsylvania. He is now in his first year as Assistant Professor of Radiology at the University of Utah. His goal is to combine his knowledge of MRI physics and novel MRI techniques with the clinical practice of radiology, specifically in MRI of breast cancer. Despite the applicant's many years of education, he has had no postdoctoral training in electrical engineering, and has not had opportunity to apply techniques developed in his Ph.D. research to clinically relevant imaging problems. The requested support will allow Dr. Morrell to continue his education in aspects of physics and engineering related to medical imaging, and to continue to gain clinical expertise as a radiologist. During the five-year funding period, Dr. Morrell will apply techniques of multi-dimensional excitation from his Ph.D. research to improve breast MRI and validate these techniques through limited clinical trials. He will gain a greater understanding of quantum mechanics and other principles of physics directly relating to MRI with the aim of developing methods of spectroscopic imaging of the breast. He will be mentored in the design of clinical trials and the conduct of research. The expected benefit of the proposed research plan is improved detection of breast cancer and decreased number of invasive biopsies of benign breast lesions. Based on the pilot studies supported by this grant, Dr. Morrell will submit proposals for funding through R01 or similar mechanisms to maintain and expand a long term research program in MRI of breast cancer, collaborating with well established programs in oncology, pharmaceutics, and genetics at the University of Utah.