Multinuclear upgrade/extension for ultra highfield MRT

利用X-核磁共振技术对分子和细胞心血管过程进行成像，有望成为平移超高场磁共振成像最相关的应用之一。19F磁共振示踪剂被巨噬细胞摄取，可以定量心肌梗死后或心肌炎期间炎症的程度和时间进程。这应该允许获得预后参数，并评估免疫调节治疗的最终目标，将其应用于患者。另一个应用重点是心肌细胞内和细胞外空间中钠的游离态和结合态的差示定量。这些钠组分以一种复杂的方式影响细胞外基质的重塑，这在心力衰竭的发展中可能是重要的，但在很大程度上还不清楚。对于心肌梗死、各种形式的心肌肥大和糖尿病等几种疾病模型/病理，将获得这些不同钠组分之间的关系以及干预措施的效果，例如通过应用SGLT2抑制剂。通过31P波谱/成像表征缺血性、肥厚性和扩张性心肌病的心肌能量学特征是另一个焦点。特别是，针对线粒体或肌瘤的新治疗策略在心肌病中的效果将被调查。在实现所有这些生物医学目标之前，必须完成复杂的技术和方法开发。这指的是线圈的构建和验证以及专用序列的建立。组合的1H/X核线圈是获得除分子/细胞外形态和功能信息的先决条件。在19F磁共振成像中，常见的氟碳示踪剂的多重共振是一个挑战，这可以通过选择性光谱激发或指纹技术来解决。差异性钠磁共振成像依赖于超短回波时间序列(UTE)，它必须与特殊的k空间轨迹(螺旋线堆叠)结合在一起，这些轨迹对梯度伪影具有很强的鲁棒性。上述所有技术和生物医学项目的关键是实施特别的硬件/软件升级/扩展(多核支持)。没有这一点，X核线圈就不能运转，序列也不可能被开发出来。此升级/扩展适用于本建议书。

Imaging of molecular and cellular cardiovascular processes by X-nuclei magnetic resonance techniques is promising to become one of the most relevant applications of translational ultra-high field MRI. 19F MR tracers, which are ingested by macrophages, may quantify extend and time course of inflammation following myocardial infarction or during myocarditis. This should allow to obtain prognostic parameters and to evaluate immunomodulatory therapies with the final aim, to apply them to patients. Another application focuses on the differential quantification of free and bound fractions of sodium in the intra- and extracellular space of myocardium. These sodium fractions affect in a complex, in large parts not well understood, way remodelling of the extracellular matrix, which may be important for the development of heart failure. The relationship of these different sodium fractions, as well as the effect of interventions, e.g. by application of SGLT2 inhibitors, will be obtained for several disease-models /pathologies as myocardial infarction, various forms of cardiac hypertrophy, and diabetes. Characterization of myocardial energetics of ischemic, hypertrophic and dilative cardiomyopathy by 31P spectroscopy / imaging is another focus. In particular, the effect of new therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondria or the sarcomer in cardiomyopathies will be investigated. In advance of all these biomedical aims, sophisticated technical and methodical developments have to be accomplished. This refers to coil construction and validation as well as establishing of dedicated sequences. Combined 1H/X-nuclei coils are a prerequisite to obtain besides molecular/cellular also morphological and functional information. In 19F MRI multiple resonances of common fluorocarbon tracers are a challenge, which may be tackled by selective spectral excitation or fingerprinting techniques. Differential sodium MRI depends on ultrashort echo time sequences (UTE), which must be combined with special k-space trajectories (stack of spirals) which are robust against gradient artefacts. Essential for all technical and biomedical projects mentioned above is the implementation of a special hard-/ software upgrade/extension (multinuclear support). Without this, neither X-nuclei coils operate nor may sequences be developed. This upgrade/extension is applied in this proposal.