A High-Field (7T) MRI System for Translational Imaging Research

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目的是为购买一台小口径7T MRI扫描仪寻求资金，该扫描仪将安装在圣安东尼奥的UT健康科学中心（UTHSCSA）。该仪器的调试将有助于解决高分辨率动物MRI的跨机构需求。它将服务于位于UTHSCSA，西南生物医学研究基金会（SFBR），奥迪墨菲纪念退伍军人医院和德州大学圣安东尼奥分校的区域生物医学学术团体。一款先进的Bruker ClinScan MR系统刚刚在市场上出现，它采用了高性能脉冲磁梯度场和32通道并行射频系统，代表了一项急需的前沿技术。由西门子Syngo控制台和IDEAMRI脉冲测序驱动，该仪器现在将使用户能够执行诸如动态啮齿动物功能磁共振成像和心脏成像等苛刻的研究。我们现有的2T和3T人体MRI无法实现更高的空间和时间分辨率，包括解剖磁共振显微镜（~100um分辨率）、BOLD（氧气利用）、磁共振光谱、对比灌注MRI（血流）和扩散张量成像（白质连通性）。虽然该提案最初将为更成熟的NIH研究者服务，但这些强大的功能无疑将吸引其他研究者获取试点数据，以推动新的NIH拨款申请。由于这种MRI可以适应各种各样的动物大小和物种，从转基因小鼠到非人类灵长类动物，以及坏死的人体组织，我们希望产生跨越多个学科的兴趣，如肿瘤学，衰老，神经学和精神疾病。我们预计这个新工具将成为催生创新策略的催化剂，以解决复杂的假设。RIC是UTHSCSA医学院的一个系级单位，其章程是为基本的临床前和临床研究开发非侵入性成像。它拥有卓越的设施，专门用于研究。这包括最近对其动物成像核心的扩展，与一颗大型动物住房卫星相邻，并且已经为未来安装新的核磁共振成像做好了现场准备，这将使其能够相对较快地上线。附近还有西南国家灵长类动物研究中心（SNPRC）和SFBR，为RIC提供非人类灵长类动物和其他外来物种的成像。一旦投入使用，这种新的核磁共振成像将推动高水平的可翻译研究，旨在提高我们对人类疾病的理解和治疗，提供一个重要的训练环境，并且由于它的使用涉及生存测试，以较小的牺牲动物为对象。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this proposal is to seek funding for the purchase of a small-bore, 7T MRI scanner to be installed at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). Commissioning of this instrument will help resolve a cross-institutional demand for a high-resolution animal MRI. It will serve the regional biomedical academic communities located at the UTHSCSA, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR), the Audie Murphy Memorial Veterans Hosp. and the UT San Antonio. An advanced Bruker ClinScan MR system has just emerged on the market and represents a much needed leading-edge technology employing a high-performance pulsed magnetic gradient field and 32-channel parallel RF systems. Driven by a Siemens Syngo consol with IDEAMRI pulse sequencing, this instrument will now enable users to perform such demanding studies as dynamic rodent fMRI and cardiac imaging. Scanning modalities yielding superior spatial and temporal resolution not previously achievable with our existing 2T and 3T human MRI's include anatomical MR microscopy (~100um resolution), BOLD (oxygen utilization), MR spectroscopy, contrast-perfusion MRI (blood flow) and diffusion tensor imaging (white matter connectivity). While this proposal will initially serve the more well-established NIH investigator, these powerful features will undoubtedly attract other investigators to acquire pilot data to fuel new NIH grant submissions. Because this MRI can accommodate a wide variety of animal sizes and species from transgenic mice to non-human primates, as well as necropsied human tissue, we expect to generate interest spanning multiple disciplines such as oncology, aging, neurological and psychiatric disorders. We anticipate that this new tool will act as a catalyst in spawning innovative strategies to solve complex hypotheses. The RIC is a department-level unit within the UTHSCSA School of Medicine whose charter is to develop non-invasive imaging for basic preclinical and clinical investigation. It has outstanding facilities dedicated exclusively for research. This includes a recent expansion of its animal imaging core, contiguous with a large animal housing satellite, and has already been site-prepped to accommodate the future installation of a new MRI which would allow it to be brought online relatively quickly. Also conveniently nearby are the Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) and the SFBR that provide non-human primates and other exotic species for imaging at the RIC. Put to use, this new MRI will drive high-caliber translatable research directed at improving our understanding and treatment of human diseases, provide an important training environment and, since its use involves survivable testing, at lesser sacrifice of animal subjects.