In vivo with an atomic magnetometer

体内原子磁力计

• 批准号: 7879365
• 负责人: Igor M Savukov
• 金额: $ 36.38万
• 依托单位: LOS ALAMOS NAT SECTY-LOS ALAMOS NAT LAB
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-01 至 2012-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7879365
• 关键词: Brain; Clinical; Country; Developing Countries; Development; Diagnostic; Electroencephalography; Electronics; Epilepsy; Equipment; Frequencies; Generations; Goals; Hand; Head; Hospitals; Human; Image; Imaging Techniques; Imaging technology; Immunity; Laboratories; Lasers; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetoencephalography; Maintenance; Medical; Modality; Morphologic artifacts; Neurosciences; Nuclear; Optics; Population; Predisposition; Procedures; Radio; Research Infrastructure; Resolution; Safety; Scanning; Screening procedure; System; Techniques; Tissues; World Health Organization; base; bioimaging; biomagnetism; cost; cryogenics; design; detector; flexibility; in vivo; instrument; magnetic field; novel strategies; operation; portability; prototype; public health relevance; research study; rural area; superconducting quantum interference device; tumor

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop a non-cryogenic ultra-low-field (ULF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system based on an atomic magnetometer (AM) for general biomedical imaging and demonstrate the first anatomical in vivo images of the hand and the head. The system will have several advantages over conventional high-field scanners: safety, portability, low cost, compatibility with other systems, flexibility in applications, simplicity in operation, enhanced contrast (to anomalies such as tumors). In many cases, this will be a benefit to MRI diagnostics when conventional MRI scanners are restricted. For example, the proposed system can be deployed in remote (rural) areas of the US, small hospitals, battlefields, and hospitals in undeveloped countries, where logistically and economically conventional scanners cannot be used. Because of the absence of cryogenics, maintenance-free operation, and cost reduction, the proposed system also has an advantage over ULF MRI systems based on SQUIDs, which have already been used successfully by our group and others in biomedical applications. Significant cost reduction can be achieved for the system utilizing parallel MRI principles, desirable for accelerating MRI scans, because a multi-channel AM can be built at a fraction of the cost of the multi-channel SQUID array (40k$ vs 1000k$). If we obtain the quality of in vivo scans suitable for most common diagnostic MRI procedures, which is our ultimate goal, the ULF MRI scanners based on atomic magnetometers can revolutionize MRI technology. Detailed proof of the feasibility, including preliminary results and the detailed description of the principles and optimization steps, is provided. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: We propose to develop a non-cryogenic ultra-low-field (ULF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system based on an atomic magnetometer (AM) for general biomedical imaging and demonstrate the first anatomical in vivo images of the hand and the head. The system will have several advantages over conventional high-field scanners such as safety, portability, low cost, compatibility with other systems, flexibility in applications, simplicity in operation, and enhanced contrast (to anomalies such as tumors), as well as the advantage over ULF MRI systems based on SQUIDs such as the absence of cryogenics, maintenance-free operation, and low cost. If we succeed in obtaining the quality of in vivo scans suitable for most common diagnostic MRI procedures, and preliminary results and analysis in this proposal prove the feasibility of this, the ULF MRI scanners based on atomic magnetometers can become reality in medical hospitals and revolutionize MRI diagnostics.

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议开发一种基于原子磁力计（AM）的非低温超低场（ULF）磁共振成像（MRI）系统，用于一般生物医学成像，并展示手部和头部的第一个解剖体内图像。与传统的高场扫描仪相比，该系统将具有以下几个优点：安全性、便携性、低成本、与其他系统的兼容性、应用灵活性、操作简单、增强对比度（对肿瘤等异常）。在许多情况下，当常规MRI扫描仪受到限制时，这将有利于MRI诊断。例如，所提出的系统可以部署在美国的偏远（农村）地区、小医院、战场和不发达国家的医院，在这些地方不能使用后勤和经济上传统的扫描仪。由于没有低温，免维护操作和成本降低，所提出的系统也具有优势，超低频磁共振成像系统的基础上SQUID，这已经成功地使用了我们的小组和其他人在生物医学应用。利用并行MRI原理的系统可以实现显著的成本降低，这对于加速MRI扫描是期望的，因为可以以多通道SQUID阵列的成本的一小部分（40 k $ vs 1000 k $）来构建多通道AM。如果我们获得适合大多数常见诊断MRI程序的体内扫描质量，这是我们的最终目标，基于原子磁力计的ULF MRI扫描仪可以彻底改变MRI技术。详细的可行性证明，包括初步的结果和详细描述的原则和优化步骤，提供。公共卫生相关性：我们建议开发一个非低温超低场（ULF）磁共振成像（MRI）系统的基础上，原子磁力计（AM）的一般生物医学成像，并展示了第一个解剖在体内的手和头部的图像。该系统与传统的高场扫描仪相比将具有几个优点，例如安全性、便携性、低成本、与其他系统的兼容性、应用灵活性、操作简单性和增强的对比度（对异常如肿瘤），以及基于SQUID的ULF MRI系统的优点，例如没有低温、免维护操作和低成本。如果我们成功地获得适用于大多数常见诊断MRI程序的体内扫描质量，并且本提案中的初步结果和分析证明了这一点的可行性，则基于原子磁力计的ULF MRI扫描仪可以在医疗医院中成为现实，并彻底改变MRI诊断。