ELASTASE MODEL OF EMPHYSEMA IN RATS USING HYPERPOLARIZED 3HE

这项研究的总体目标是研究 使用超极化气体（氦和氙）对空气进行体内成像 正常和病变肺的间隙。 MR显微镜有许多 优势 也许最重要的是非侵入性成像 微观尺度下的活的小动物。 目前我们是 能够常规成像质子或含水物质， 器官和组织缩小到20-30微米。 然而，在案件中， 肺，我们能够用MR成像它有困难，只是因为 它具有方便地散布在其中的含水结构， 了 随着超极化的He或H2O气体被引入肺中， 将能够直接成像和测量肺部的空气空间。 这种能力在疾病的动物研究中具有巨大的潜力 特别是肺气肿和哮喘的模型。 跟随的能力 非侵入性地在体内检测疾病的进展和消退， MR已经彻底改变了现代诊断和治疗。 In中心 活体显微镜是NIH资助的国家资源， 将MR成像的应用扩展到微观领域， 使该工具可用于广泛的基础科学家。 的 这里提出的工作将直接应用于肺部疾病的模型。 的 肺是MR特别具有挑战性的器官系统 由于肺部的信号非常有限， 低密度和来自呼吸和心脏的持续运动 脉动 该中心最近的工作表明， 这两个问题都产生了迄今为止最高分辨率的图像， 在肺的体内获得。 He和氦气的研究进展 成像为肺成像提供了新的和令人兴奋的可能性。 的 这里提出的技术将进一步扩展分辨率， 产生三维形态测量。

The overall goal of this research is to examine the potential of using hyperpolarized gases (Helium & Xenon) for in vivo imaging of air spaces of the normal and diseased lung. MR microscopy has many advantages. Perhaps the most significant is to non-invasively image the live, small animal at microscopic dimensions. Currently, we are able to routinely image the proton or water containing substances of organs and tissues down to 20-30 microns. However, in the case of the lung, we are able to image it with MR with difficulty and only because it has water containing structures conveniently interspersed within it. With hyperpolarized He or Xe gas introduced into the lung, we will be able to image and measure the airspaces of the lung directly. Such capability has enormous potential in animal research of disease models especially for emphysema and asthma. The ability to follow non-invasively in vivo the progression and regression of disease with MR has revolutionized modern diagnosis and therapy. The Center for In Vivo Microscopy is an NIH-funded National Resource charged with extending the application of MR imaging to the microscopic domain and making the tool available to a wide range of basic scientists. The work proposed here will apply directly to models of lung disease. The lung represents a particularly challenging organ system for MR microscopy due to the very limited signal in the lung because of its low density and the constant motion from breathing and cardiac pulsation. Recent work at the Center have demonstrated solutions to both these problems yielding the highest resolution images yet obtained in vivo of the lung. Recent advances in He and Xe gas imaging provide new and exciting possibilities for lung imaging. The techniques propose here will further extend the resolution as well as yield three-dimensional morphometry.