Research console for 4T imager

描述(由申请人提供)： 宾夕法尼亚大学寻求为GE 4T全身核磁共振扫描仪购买瓦里安INOVA控制台。目前4T系统上的GE游戏机已经过时，用户没有兴趣或资金将其升级到最新版本。该仪器100%致力于研究，它将100%使用拟议的瓦里安控制台进行操作。将有七个主要用户方案，15个首席调查人员，由23笔NIH赠款支持(本年度为9,368,824美元，资金周期为40,095,857美元)。拟议的控制台将促进在宾夕法尼亚大学和其他机构的实验瓦里安INOVA光谱仪和其他仪器上为小动物研究开发的独特脉冲序列的临床应用。在GE控制台上编程脉冲序列的难度和时间都高得令人望而却步，并阻碍了最终针对人类疾病检测和治疗的关键项目的进展。临床仪器的使用目前已饱和，不足以支持用户项目。许多项目需要附件来同时进行近红外成像、脑电(EEG或ERP)和磁铁运动常规，而这些都不能在临床仪器中进行。在4T仪器上放置VARIAN控制台将极大地促进与关节炎、癌症、神经疾病、肌肉营养不良和溶酶体储存疾病的基因治疗以及基本人体生理学相关的临床光谱和成像应用的开发。例如，项目I专注于将在关节炎动物模型上开发的软骨的单量子和多量子Na MRI和1H MRI翻译到人类受试者身上。项目二旨在预测和检测人类肿瘤对人类非霍奇金淋巴瘤和头颈癌患者化疗和放射的影响，并选择黑色素瘤患者进行肢体隔离灌注/化疗/热疗。质子MRS/磁共振乳酸盐和胆碱成像需要特殊脉冲序列的编程，而31P MRS需要在高场下实现更高的分辨率和灵敏度。项目5涉及在人体受试者上开发同时的MRI/MRS和NIR，用于在磁力运动期间检查肌肉生理学，在认知任务表现期间对青少年大脑进行功能成像，以及检测乳腺癌。这个项目需要有专门的研究仪器，以发展这些双重成像和成像-练习能力。肌肉31P MRS研究需要4T才能获得监测特定肌肉纤维所需的分辨率，其他四个项目领域中的每一个都将同样受益于使用配备新控制台的4T。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Pennsylvania seeks to acquire a Varian INOVA console for a GE 4T whole-body MRI scanner. The current GE console on the 4T system is outdated, and there is no user interest or funds for upgrading it to the latest version. The instrument is dedicated 100 percent to research, and it will operate 100 percent of the time with the proposed Varian console. There will be seven major user programs, 15 Principal Investigators, supported by 23 NIH grants ($9,368,824 current year, $40,095,857 funding cycle). The proposed console will facilitate translation to clinical applications of unique pulse sequences developed for studies of small animals on experimental Varian INOVA spectrometers and other instruments both at Penn and at other institutions. Programming pulse sequences on the GE console has been prohibitively difficult and time consuming and has impeded progress on critical projects ultimately directed at detection and treatment of human diseases. Access to clinical instruments is currently saturated and is inadequate to support the user projects. Many of the projects require accessories for simultaneous near infrared imaging, electroencephalography (EEG or ERP) and inmagnet exercise routines that cannot be performed in clinical instruments. Placement of a Varian console on a 4T instrument will greatly facilitate development of clinical spectroscopy and imaging applications relevant to arthritis, cancer, neurological disorders, gene therapy of muscular dystrophy and lysosomal storage diseases, and basic human physiology. For instance, Project I focuses on translation to human subjects of single and multiple quantum Na MRI and 1H MRI of cartilage developed on animal models of arthritis. Project II is directed at prediction and detection of human tumors to chemotherapy and radiation in humans with non- Hodgkin's lymphoma and head and neck cancer and selection of melanoma patients for isolated limb perfusion/ chemotherapy/hyperthermia. Proton MRS/MRI lactate and choline imaging require programming of special pulse sequences, and 31P MRS requires the improved resolution and sensitivity achieved at high field. Project 5 involves the development of simultaneous MRI/MRS and NIR on human subjects for examination of muscle physiology during in-magnet exercise, functional imaging of adolescent brains during cognitive task performance and detection of breast cancer. This project requires access to a dedicated research instrument in order to develop these dual imaging and imaging-exercise capabilities. Muscle 31P MRS studies need 4T for the resolution required to monitor specific muscle fibers, Each of the other four project areas will similarly benefit from access to the 4T equipped with the new console.