Upgrading a 7T Scanner to Study Cancer, Neurological and Musculoskeletal Diseases

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目的是获得必要的资源，为UCSF的7T全身MR扫描仪提供关键系统升级。该扫描仪位于UCSF使命湾校区Surbeck实验室的高场MR研究设施。它在展示高分辨率成像和光谱学在表征人类疾病和评估治疗干预措施方面的应用方面发挥了重要作用。在过去四年中进行的研究表明，由于在该场强下可获得更高的灵敏度和差异对比机制，因此患者和临床前模型系统的7T研究具有明显的受益。尽管已经取得了令人印象深刻的结果，但要推进现有项目并扩大该技术的应用范围，需要改进梯度和更灵活的射频子系统。拟议的升级将使30名积极从事高场MR成像研究的教职员工的18个已资助项目和5个待定NIH项目受益。需要并将受益于升级的应用程序包括来自癌症，神经和肌肉骨骼疾病主要项目的现有研究人员的项目，以及来自7名正在利用这项技术发展其独立研究事业的新研究人员的项目。在UCSF扩大高场成像的应用也将通过引入新的材料到他们的课程工作，并提供多学科研究轮换的机会，提高学生在研究生，医学和药学课程的教育经验的范围。 公共卫生相关性：UCSF的高场磁共振研究设施支持大量全面和多方面的高场磁共振研究项目，这些项目将新技术应用于人类疾病的表征。为了加强在患者和临床前模型系统中进行的翻译研究，至关重要的是设备保持在最先进的水平。该提案要求提供资金，以提供系统升级，这将大大提高所获得数据的质量，并允许研究人员描述解剖，与疾病进展和治疗反应相关的生理和代谢异常。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this proposal is to obtain resources necessary to provide a critical system upgrade for the 7T whole body MR scanner at UCSF. This scanner is located at the High Field MR Research Facility in the Surbeck Laboratory at the UCSF Mission Bay campus. It has played an important role in demonstrating the applications of high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy to characterizing human disease and assessing therapeutic interventions. The studies performed over the last four years have shown clear benefit for 7T studies of patients and pre-clinical model systems, due to the increased sensitivity and differential contrast mechanisms that are available at this field strength. Despite the impressive results that have been obtained, moving the existing projects forward and expanding the range of applications of the technology require improved gradients and more a flexible radiofrequency subsystem. The proposed upgrade will benefit 18 already funded and 5 pending NIH projects from 30 faculty members who are actively engaged in high field MR imaging research. Applications that necessitate and will benefit from the upgrade include projects from established investigators with major programs in cancer, neurological and musculoskeletal diseases, as well as from 7 new investigators who are utilizing this technology in developing their independent research careers. Expanding the applications of high field imaging at UCSF will also enhance the range of educational experiences for students in graduate, medical and pharmacy programs by introducing new material into their course work and providing opportunities for multi-disciplinary research rotations. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The High Field MR Research Facility fat UCSF supports a large number of comprehensive and multi-faceted high field Magnetic Resonance research projects that are applying novel technology to the characterization of human diseases. In order to enhance the translation research studies that are being performed in patients and pre-clinical model systems, it is critical that the equipment is kept at the state of the art. This proposal is requesting funds to provide a system upgrade that will significantly improve the quality of the data obtained and allow researchers to characterize the anatomic, physiological and metabolic abnormalities associated with disease progression and response to therapy.