Upgrade of a 3T Siemens Trio MRI scanner at the University of Rochester

描述（由申请人提供）：针对SIG计划的当前NCRR提案的目标是获得资源，用于升级当前研究专用的3T Siemens MRI扫描仪，该扫描仪是由NSF和私人基金会基金购买的，并于2004年9月投入使用。当购买这台扫描仪时，它是最先进的，它为罗切斯特大学（和邻近机构）的广泛研究社区提供了出色的服务。然而，随着MR技术的不断进步，扫描仪正在落后于尖端图像采集的曲线。局限性包括采集速度、空间分辨率、实时fMRI以及对患者运动和图像伪影校正的补偿。此外，扫描仪已经从专注于神经成像转向广泛的结构，功能，扩散/灌注和光谱模式，适用于癌症，骨科和肌肉骨骼研究，仅举几个新的用户群体。因此，升级扫描仪以使专用线圈能够在不重新定位患者的情况下进行全身成像变得重要。西门子要求的特定升级称为TIM（总成像矩阵），由硬件组成（射频线圈和接收器、梯度和新计算机）和软件（新的脉冲序列和后处理工具），提高了图像采集的速度，提高了结构和功能扫描的空间分辨率，增加了获得实时fMRI的能力，减少了敏感性伪影，并提供用于全身扫描的线圈。这一升级不仅将加强正在进行的研究项目，而且将扩大用户基础，以包括新的调查人员，否则他们将无法从目前的扫描仪中受益。目前的项目包括神经影像学、癌症影像学和骨科影像学的研究。值得注意的是，罗切斯特大学已经以空间改造（近100万美元）和持续运营预算（每年超过50万美元）的形式对3T成像中心做出了实质性承诺。拟议的3T扫描仪升级补充了罗切斯特大学更广泛的成像战略计划，该计划已经导致三名终身教职员工和几名额外的教职员工（一名优秀员工和几名计划在未来几年内招聘）。 公共卫生相关性：升级后的扫描仪将显著增强罗切斯特大学的一系列新的基础和转化研究项目。基础研究项目旨在研究大脑如何介导视觉，语言和学习等复杂行为的基本方面，而转化研究项目旨在早期诊断疾病，治疗前评估疾病状态，以及调整治疗方案以获得最佳结果。这种广泛的正常和病理状态的研究将大大受益于改进的解剖，代谢和功能成像，包括神经，癌症和骨科专业。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the present NCRR proposal to the SIG program is to obtain resources for the upgrade of a current research-dedicated 3T Siemens MRI scanner that was purchased with NSF and private foundation funds and dedicated in September of 2004. When this scanner was purchased, it was state-of-the-art and it has provided outstanding service to the broad research community at the University of Rochester (and neighboring institutions). As MR technology continues to advance, however, the scanner is falling behind the curve of cutting-edge image acquisition. Limitations include the speed of acquisition, spatial resolution, real-time fMRI, and compensation for patient motion and image artifacts corrections. In addition, the scanner has shifted from a focus on neuroimaging to a broad array of structural, functional, diffusion/perfusion, and spectroscopic modalities applicable to cancer, orthopaedic and musculoskeletal research, to name just a few new user groups. Thus, it has become important to upgrade the scanner to enable specialized coils to conduct whole-body imaging without repositioning the patient. The specific upgrade that is requested from Siemens, called TIM (Total Imaging Matrix), consists of hardware (RF coils and receivers, gradients, and new computers) and software (new pulse sequences and post-processing tools) that improve the speed of image acquisition, improve the spatial resolution of both structural and functional scans, add the capability of obtaining real-time fMRI, reduce susceptibility artifacts, and provide coils for whole-body scanning. This upgrade will not only enhance on-going research projects but will expand the user-base to include new investigators who otherwise were unable to benefit from the current scanner. Current projects include studies of neuroimaging, cancer imaging, and orthopaedic imaging. It is important to note that the University of Rochester has made substantial commitments to the 3T imaging center in the form of space renovations (nearly $1 million) and on-going operating budget (over $500,000 per year). The proposed upgrade to the 3T scanner complements a broader strategic plan for imaging at the University of Rochester that has already resulted in three tenure-track faculty hires and several additional faculty hires (one outstanding offer and several planned for the next few years). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The upgraded scanner will significantly enhance a broad range of new basic and translational research projects at the University of Rochester. The basic research projects are aimed at fundamental aspects of how the brain mediates complex behaviors such as vision, language, and learning, and the translational research projects are aimed at the early diagnosis of disease, the assessment of disease states prior to treatment, and the adjustment of treatment regimes for optimal outcome. This broad range of studies of normal and pathological states will benefit greatly from improved anatomic, metabolic, and functional imaging, including neurological, cancer, and orthopaedic specializations.