Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry and Diffusometry

磁共振成像(MRI)是一种灵活而强大的非侵入性诊断成像技术，可用于临床医学。磁共振成像作为一种主要的定性工具已经得到了很好的证实，主要用于通过绘制氢的空间位置来可视化生物系统的内部结构。磁共振信号寿命(弛豫时间)和分子扩散通常在MR图像对比中定性地表现出来。这些参数的定量分析将揭示分子尺度信息，因为磁共振通过测量弛豫时间(弛豫计量学)和分子扩散(扩散计量学)对包括分子结构、运动、大小和相互作用在内的一系列物理/化学特征很敏感。定量磁共振的潜力已经被认识到了。然而，要充分实现这一潜力，仍需要在方法上取得重大进展。*我们的目标是定量绘制与传统MRI设备的松弛和扩散相关图，实现超出传统方法设置的限制的空间分辨率，以及使用低成本手持式MR扫描仪通过斑点测量对组织结构进行定量分析。我们将在这两种情况下利用基于人工神经网络(深度学习)的数据处理来克服这些测量中固有的挑战，并能够有效地恢复潜在的组织数量和属性。*定量和稳健的松弛和扩散测量将使磁共振成为一种新的分析方法，并显著扩大其在疾病检测和量化方面的能力。*由于这项工作的跨学科性质，涉及生物学、计算机科学和物理学，这项研究显示出对上述和其他领域的实际问题具有重要意义的前景。与温莎大学和其他地方的同事合作将使这些途径得以探索。

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is well known as a flexible and powerful non-invasive diagnostic imaging technique available to clinical medicine. MRI as a largely qualitative tool is well established, principally used to visualize the internal structure of biological systems through mapping the spatial position of hydrogen. The magnetic resonance signal lifetimes (relaxation times) and molecular diffusion usually manifest qualitatively in the MR image contrast. Quantitative analysis of these parameters will reveal molecular scale information, since magnetic resonance is sensitive to a range of physical/chemical characteristics including molecular structure, motion, size and interactions, through the measurements of relaxation times (relaxometry) and molecular diffusion (diffusometry). The potential for quantitative MR has been recognized. However, significant methodological developments are still required for this potential to be fully realized. ****** Our goal is to quantitatively map the relaxation and diffusion correlations with conventional MRI instruments, achieving a spatial resolution beyond the limits set by traditional methods, as well as quantitative analysis of tissue structure with spot measurements utilizing a low cost handheld MR scanner. We will exploit artificial neural network (deep learning) based data processing in both scenarios to overcome the challenges inherent in these measurements and to enable efficient recovery of underlying tissue quantity and property.****** Quantitative and robust relaxometry and diffusometry will empower magnetic resonance and bring it to a new level as an analytical methodology and significantly enlarge its capacity in disease detection and quantification.****** Because of the inter-disciplinary nature of the work, involving biology and computer science as well as physics, the research shows promise of significant relevance to practical problems in these and other fields. Collaboration with colleagues at the University of Windsor and elsewhere will enable these avenues to be explored.