Development and implementation of high-resolution imaging techniques and post-processing methods for hyperpolarised magnetic resonance imaging

超极化磁共振成像是一项尖端技术，使我们能够非侵入性地绘制肺功能（氙-129）和代谢我们已经证明了这些技术能够检测COVID后呼吸困难患者肺部的其他不可见病理（Grist et al，2021，Radiology），并且它们在肿瘤学和神经学中提供快速读出药物疗效方面具有很大的前景（Grist et al，JCBFM，2020）。药物疗效的早期读数允许NHS采取多种节省成本的措施，如果检测到其他不可见的病理或缺乏治疗反应，患者将迅速转移到更合适的治疗方法。反过来，这将大大提高单个患者接受的护理质量-使我们进一步走向个性化医疗。我们与GE Healthcare合作多年，将这两种技术从临床前应用到临床竞技场，现在有一个黄金机会将它们进一步推向临床环境。临床采用这些技术的关键是开发和验证新的方法，（提高空间分辨率或了解我们检测到的信号的时间动态）和处理数据（应用新的后处理方法，如代谢清除率绘图）-最终的目标是使医院PACS系统上的放射工作人员能够随时使用所获得的高质量图像。该项目将涉及开发新数据采集策略（例如通过欠采样加速或3D编码策略来提高图像的信噪比）以及后处理方法（例如动力学建模和与传统成像数据的自动非刚性配准）。我们将在志愿者和患者中采用这些策略，我们已经有资金进行扫描。学生将在牛津临床磁共振研究中心（OCMR，碳-13超极化器所在地）和丘吉尔医院（氙超极化器所在地）工作，提供多样化和良好的支持学习环境。

Hyperpolarised magnetic resonance imaging is a cutting-edge technology that enables us to non-invasively map lung function (Xenon-129) and metabolism (carbon-13) in a way that is beyond the ability of any other current clinical imaging technology.We have demonstrated the ability of these technologies to detect otherwise invisible pathology in the lungs of breathless patients post-COVID (Grist et al, 2021, Radiology) and they hold great promise to provide a rapid read out drug efficacy in oncology and neurology (Grist et al, JCBFM, 2020). Early readout of drug efficacy allows for multiple cost-saving measures for the NHS, with patients being quickly moved to more appropriate therapies if either otherwise invisible pathology or a lack of therapeutic response is detected. In turn, this will provide a large improvement in the quality of care an individual patient receives - moving us further toward personalised medicine. We have partnered with GE Healthcare for several years to translate both techniques from the pre-clinical to the clinical arena, and now there is a golden opportunity to push them both further into the clinical environment.Key to the clinical adoption of these techniques is the development and validation of new ways of both acquiring (to either increase spatial resolution or understand temporal dynamics of the signals that we detect) and processing data (applying novel post-processing methods such as metabolic clearance mapping) - with the eventual aim that the high quality images obtained are readily available for radiological staff on the hospital PACS system.This project will involve the development of novel data acquisition strategies (for example acceleration through under sampling or 3D encoding strategies to boost the signal to noise ratio in our images) as well as post-processing methods (such as kinetic modelling and automated non-rigid co-registration with conventional imaging data). Strategies will be employed in volunteers and patients, which we already have funding to scan. The student will work across both the Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR, where the carbon-13 hyperpolariser is based) and the Churchill Hospital (where the Xenon hyperpolariser is based), providing a varied and well supported learning environment.