9.4 Tesla MR Scanner for Murine Imaging

描述(由申请人提供)：弗吉尼亚大学医学院或医学与工程学院已经在开发和应用磁共振成像(MRI)和波谱(MRS)方面建立了成功的研究计划，用于在转基因和基因敲除小鼠中对缺血性心脏病(IHD)、动脉粥样硬化和胃癌的分子机制进行非侵入性系列研究。到目前为止，实验使用的是4.7特斯拉MRI/MRS系统，按照目前的标准，该系统在场强和梯度性能方面已经过时。我们建议购买9.4Telsa MRI/MRS系统，配备最先进的磁体、梯度和射频线圈，以加强这些研究领域。新系统预计将提供更高的信噪比(SNR)、更短的回波时间和更短的重复时间，这将导致更高的空间、时间和光谱分辨率，以及更短的扫描时间。这些技术改进将被用来改进现有研究或使之成为一个全新的调查领域。例如，在心脏中，时间分辨率的增加不仅可以改善静息状态下心肌功能的评估，还可以评估多巴酚丁胺输注过程中的收缩储备。此外，新系统将使我们能够开始研究IHD小鼠模型的心肌灌注，这是一个重要和未被研究的领域。具体地说，新系统将使首次通过的对比增强成像具有高空间和时间分辨率，并改进动脉自旋标记方法。信噪比和光谱分辨率的提高也将使在体心肌能量学的31P磁共振波谱研究成为可能。对于动脉粥样硬化和胃癌，信噪比的提高将被用于实现高空间分辨率的小鼠主动脉和颈动脉的血管壁成像，以及用于胃壁的成像，所有这些都严重地将信噪比限制在4.7T。新系统增强的能力将通过现有的全面技术、科学和管理计划实现。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Virginia Schools or Medicine and Engineering have established successful research programs in the development and application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) for non-invasive serial studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying ischemic heart disease (IHD), atherosclerosis, and gastric cancer in transgenic and knockout mice. Experiments to date have utilized a 4.7 Tesla MRI/MRS system, which, by current standards, is outdated in terms of field strength and gradient performance. We propose to purchase a 9.4 Telsa MRI/MRS system with state-of-the-art magnet, gradients and radio-frequency coils to enhance these lines of research. The new system is expected to provide higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), shorter echo times, and shorter repetition times, which would result in higher spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions, as well as reduced scan times. These technical enhancements would be used to either improve upon existing studies or enable entirely new areas of investigation. For example, in the heart the increase in temporal resolution would not only improve the evaluation of myocardial function at rest, but would also enable the evaluation of contractile reserve during dobutamine infusion. In addition, the new system will enable us to begin studying myocardial perfusion in mouse models of IHD, and important and understudied area. Specifically, the new system will enable first-pass contrast-enhanced imaging with high spatial and temporal resolutions and improved arterial spin labeling methods. The increase in SNR and spectral resolution should also enable localized in vivo 31P MRS studies of myocardial energetics. For atherosclerosis and gastric cancer, the improvement in SNR will be used to achieve high spatial resolution for vessel wall imaging of the mouse aorta and carotid arteries, and for imaging the wall of the stomach, all of which are severely SNR limited at 4.7T. The enhanced capabilities of the new system will be brought to fruition through an existing comprehensive technical, scientific, and administrative plan.