Upgrade of Console for 600 MHz MR Spectrometer

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Project Summary/Abstract We request funds to upgrade the console of the wide-bore 600MHz MR spectrometer and micro-imager, located in the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital. The current system acquired in 2003 with funds from an NIH SIG award and institutional support has been an essential component of a regional shared resource for pre-clinical medical imaging, and has contributed tremendously to the scientific discoveries and technological innovations of the Martinos Center and local investigators. However, after more than a decade in service, the current system is outdated. It is not only incompatible with the manufacturer's newly developed features and methods for cutting-edge MR spectroscopy and micro-imaging, but most dreadfully, the manufacturer has ceased to provide services on this vintage instrument due to the evolution of technologies and the lack of outdated replacement parts. To continue and enhance its integrated contributions to the Martinos Center's dual mission of imaging technology development and bench-to-bedside translation, this 600MHz system is in critical and urgent need of an upgrade. We request funds to upgrade the console, including its hardware and software, and necessary accompanying components, and will use its still functioning parts (magnet and NMR probes, etc.). Through this proposed upgrade, the system, with its high-field, high-resolution, multi-nucleus MR spectroscopy and micro- imaging capacities, and state-of-the-art techniques, will greatly benefit the NIH-funded projects proposed by the diverse user group, including 17 projects from 12 Major Users and 5 Minor Users. The proposed upgrade through this SIG has been supported by all levels of institutional administration, from the MGH leadership, to the Radiology Department, and the Martinos Center. This support covers every aspect related to the upgrade and its future operations, including allocation of instrument space and assistance for installation, operational support in terms of system scheduling, accounting, and maintenance, guarantees from the leaderships to supply additional funds, if necessary, for unexpected shortfalls, and lastly but most significantly, a commitment of up to $225,000 to cover the gap between the NIH SIG award and the purchasing price for the upgrade, in addition to the committed fund of $100,000 from the MGH Executive Committee for Research towards the maintenance of the system. Following the upgrade, the 600MHz MR spectrometer and micro-imager with the capability of temperature control (-80°C to 200°C), managed by the Martinos Center as a shared core, will be available to the broader research community, both within MGH and the Greater Boston region. The PI and Advisory Committee will ensure equitable and cost-effective operation of the system to achieve its essential role in driving new discoveries pertaining to a host of medically related issues covering the fields of radiology, pathology, cardiology, and surgery, and subjects including brain mapping, neurochemistry, photomedicine, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.