ShEEP Request for Bruker BioSpec 3T MRI System Upgrade

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The capability of performing longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on small animals in vivo significantly and positively impacts a large number of VA-supported projects in basic, translational and preclinical biomedical/behavioral research relevant to Veteran's healthcare currently conducted at the Jennifer Moreno VA Medical Center (JMVAMC) (formerly known as the VA San Diego Healthcare System). We have a Bruker BioSpec 3T small animal MRI system which is integrated into the centralized JMVAMC/Veterans Medical Research Foundation Microimaging Core facility, but the current configuration is limited in its ability to perform rapid scans, including the inability to perform high-quality mouse cardiac and mouse functional brain MRI experiments. We are a group of 18 investigators with active VA funding who will directly benefit from upgrading the existing Bruker BioSpec 3T MRI system. Our projects which will benefit from the upgrades encompass a wide range of fields and research, including radiology, cardiology, orthopaedics, bioengineering, neurology, psychiatry, pulmonology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology, and surgery. Upgrading our small animal MRI imaging system to the latest state-of-the-art system will not only impact basic pre-clinical research at JMVAMC, but is also expected to have a strong and positive effect through improvement of patient clinical care. The imaging techniques employed on our 3T system are readily incorporated to the clinic, ultimately supporting the VA healthcare mission.