TR&D 4: Revealing Microstructure: Biophysical modeling and validation for discovery and clinical care

TRD4项目摘要 我们高级成像创新与研究中心(CAI2R)的广泛使命是为 合作翻译研究团队共同开发高影响力的生物医学成像 技术，最终目标是改变日常临床实践。与其他三项技术 我们中心的研发(TR&D)项目侧重于生成丰富的量化数据 流，一个关键的问题仍然是：这些数据流在组织功能水平上真正意味着什么？ 回答这样一个问题需要将空间尺度从宏观(毫米)维度 图像体素到细胞的介观(微米)维度，许多疾病过程都是在这里产生的。 绘制细胞水平生物物理参数图的能力将为临床和治疗开辟新的有效途径 应用和基础研究。在研发项目4中，我们将把组织微结构映射集成到 全面的图像采集，以实现细胞水平上的组织变化的特异性， 了解生理学和病理学，以便最早发现疾病，监测疾病进展， 并对治疗效果进行量化。该项目的总体目标是将MRI从 一种用于测量微结构组织的精确和精密的科学仪器 参数。我们的具体目标是1)建立MRI数据的潜在生物物理信息内容， 使用介观物理方法；2)开发和验证微观结构的生物物理模型 可以用来将图像数据转换为微结构图。 患有神经、肌肉骨骼或肿瘤疾病的患者；以及3)将这些建模和 将方法映射到临床实践中。

TRD4 Project Summary The broad mission of our Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R) is to bring together collaborative translational research teams for the development of high-impact biomedical imaging technologies, with the ultimate goal of changing day-to-day clinical practice. With the other three Technology Research and development (TR&D) Projects in our Center focused on generating rich, quantitative data streams, a key question remains: What do these data streams really mean at the level of tissue function? Answering such a question requires bridging spatial scales from the macroscopic (millimeter) dimensions of image voxels to the mesoscopic (micrometer) dimensions of cells, where many disease processes originate. An ability to map cellular-level biophysical parameters would open new productive avenues for both clinical applications and basic research. In TR&D Project 4, we will integrate tissue microstructure mapping into comprehensive image acquisitions, to achieve specificity to tissue changes at the cellular level, for understanding physiology and pathology, for earliest disease detection, for monitoring of disease progression, and for quantification of treatment efficacy. The overarching goal of this project is to transform MRI from an imaging device to an accurate and precise scientific instrument for measuring microstructural tissue parameters. Our Specific Aims are 1) To establish the underlying biophysical information content of MRI data, using methods from mesoscopic physics; 2) To develop and validate biophysical models for the microstructure of brain, muscle, and cancer tissues, which may be used to convert image data to microstructural maps in patients with neurological, musculoskeletal, or oncologic disorders; and 3) To translate these modeling and mapping approaches into clinical practice.