Novel Approaches for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Neonatal Lung Structure and Function

新生儿肺结构和功能磁共振成像的新方法

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-05779
• 负责人: Santyr, Giles
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=738509
• 关键词: Novel; Approaches; Magnetic; Resonance; Imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides the ability to safely and repeatedly measure regional changes in lung structure and function in adults. The extension of MRI to children can potentially reduce the life-long burden of lung disease but has not yet been fully explored. This is in part due to poor image quality from the low MRI signals available from the lung using conventional MRI technology. This is further diminished by motion of the child, either natural (eg. breathing or blood flow) or spontaneous (eg. restlessness), during the relatively long time required to perform a scan. The overall objective of my research program is to develop new rapid and robust MRI methods for mapping of lung structure and function in children (from fetus through to adolescent, including infants). The short-term objectives of the proposed research program are: (i) to develop and test novel accelerated proton MRI image acquisition hardware and software to improve the speed and quality of neonatal lung MRI, (ii) to optimize and validate free-breathing MRI approaches to capture and quantify MRI signal changes associated with breathing (ie. ventilation) and blood flow and (iii) to develop new inhaled inert gas MRI approaches to simply and safely enable mapping of ventilation. These lung MRI methods will be tested in both animals and children, including ventilated neonates. These objectives will be accomplished by several trainees (1 post-doctoral fellow, 1 PhD student and 2 MSc students), leveraging the multidisciplinary research and graduate training environment within the medical physics and biophysics training program at the University of Toronto and the MRI, pediatric radiology, critical care, respirology and neonatology environment at the Hospital for Sick Children. The development of neonatal lung MRI approaches as described in this proposal will provide significant opportunities for knowledge generation, both basic and applied. These tools will enable new mechanistic insight and hypothesis testing related to healthy lung physiology and pathophysiology in neonates as well as tracking of disease progression and response to therapy not previously possible. Specifically, the proposed research will enable MRI to be used to detect and follow both the anatomical and functional consequences of lung disease of prematurity for the first time. The ability to conduct these advanced MRI techniques in a children's health research setting is an unprecedented opportunity to position Canadian imaging scientists at the forefront of this important area of pediatric research. The pathway for translation of this knowledge to researchers in the academic and health-care settings is strong since many clinical MRI platforms will be able to adopt the hardware and software tools developed by this research program, providing additional opportunity for training and commercialization within the biomedical sector.

磁共振成像 (MRI) 能够安全、重复地测量成人肺结构和功能的区域变化。将 MRI 扩展到儿童可能会减轻肺部疾病的终生负担，但尚未得到充分探索。部分原因是使用传统 MRI 技术从肺部获得的 MRI 信号较低，图像质量较差。在执行扫描所需的相对较长的时间内，这种情况会因儿童的自然运动（例如呼吸或血流）或自发运动（例如不安）而进一步减少。我的研究项目的总体目标是开发新的快速且强大的 MRI 方法，用于绘制儿童（从胎儿到青少年，包括婴儿）的肺部结构和功能图。拟议研究计划的短期目标是：(i) 开发和测试新型加速质子 MRI 图像采集硬件和软件，以提高新生儿肺部 MRI 的速度和质量，(ii) 优化和验证自由呼吸 MRI 方法，以捕获和量化与呼吸（即通气）和血流相关的 MRI 信号变化，以及 (iii) 开发新的吸入惰性气体 MRI 方法，以简化 并安全地绘制通风图。这些肺部 MRI 方法将在动物和儿童（包括通气新生儿）中进行测试。这些目标将由几名学员（1 名博士后研究员、1 名博士生和 2 名硕士生）利用多伦多大学医学物理和生物物理学培训项目中的多学科研究和研究生培训环境以及病童医院的 MRI、儿科放射学、重症监护、呼吸学和新生儿学环境来实现。 本提案中描述的新生儿肺 MRI 方法的发展将为基础知识和应用知识的生成提供重要的机会。这些工具将实现与新生儿健康肺生理学和病理生理学相关的新机制洞察和假设检验，以及跟踪疾病进展和对治疗的反应，这在以前是不可能的。具体来说，拟议的研究将首次使用 MRI 来检测和跟踪早产儿肺病的解剖和功能后果。在儿童健康研究环境中使用这些先进的 MRI 技术的能力是一个前所未有的机会，使加拿大成像科学家处于儿科研究这一重要领域的前沿。将这些知识转化为学术和医疗保健领域的研究人员的途径很强大，因为许多临床 MRI 平台将能够采用该研究项目开发的硬件和软件工具，为生物医学领域的培训和商业化提供额外的机会。