University of Iowam - Whole Body 7T MRI Scanner

描述(由申请者提供)：爱荷华大学正在申请资金，以支持购买最先进的西门子7特斯拉全身核磁共振系统，以支持来自5所学院(医学、工程、公共卫生、文科和科学以及商业)的33名受资助的NIH研究人员的研究努力，并获得40笔NIH拨款。这组研究人员的兴趣广泛，包括：脑功能成像、脑的高分辨率解剖成像、脑光谱、pH动态、骨科成像、肿瘤治疗反应的评估以及心血管成像。该系统将是校园内或方圆200英里内唯一的全身超高场核磁共振扫描仪。扫描仪将安装在医学园区内一座占地20万平方英尺、耗资1.3亿美元的新研究大楼内。该设施将容纳四个新的人体扫描仪机舱和九个动物成像机舱。人体成像设施将包括三个检查/更衣室、一个电子商店、图像处理和可视化实验室。拟议的7T扫描仪将显著推动爱荷华大学的研究工作，使其能够获得更高的空间分辨率图像，提高SNR，更快的扫描时间，提高光谱研究的光谱分辨率，并获得23Na图像。所提出的扫描仪是最先进的，包括1)128个接收和8个发射通道；2)宽带接收器；3)高性能梯度；4)有源屏蔽；以及5)多核线圈。目前管理现有1.5T和3T全身研究系统的MR研究机构将管理拟议的7T扫描仪。爱荷华大学拥有重要的技术专长，可以充分利用这种扫描仪并开发新的新型成像序列。此外，爱荷华大学已承诺招聘一名在线圈设计和开发方面具有专业知识的新教员。还将聘请一名经过董事会认证的MR技术专家来运行这一系统。支持其他设施支出的收入将来自用户费用。磁共振研究设施已经有一个内部和外部咨询委员会，该委员会将继续担任这一职务，并将整合拟议的7T扫描仪。磁共振研究设施隶属于爱荷华州生物医学成像研究所(IIBI)，并被整合到爱荷华州大学的临床和翻译科学奖(CTSA)和NCI资助的癌症中心。爱荷华大学已经与西门子建立了主研究协议，并为本申请中包括的许多拟议项目制定了合作努力。 与公共健康相关：一台7T全身核磁共振扫描仪将促进爱荷华大学33名NIH资助的研究人员的研究。他们的工作将通过从图像中获得的更精细的细节来增强。该仪器还将允许使用目前在较低场强下无法使用的新成像方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Iowa is requesting funds to support the purchase of a state-of-the-art Siemens seven Tesla whole body MRI system to support the research efforts of 33 funded NIH investigators from five colleges (Medicine, Engineering, Public Health, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Business) with 40 NIH grants. This group of researchers has a wide range of interests including: functional brain mapping, high-resolution anatomical imaging of the brain, spectroscopy of the brain, pH dynamics, orthopedic imaging, evaluation of tumor response to treatment, and cardiovascular imaging. This system would be the only whole body ultra-high field (>3T) MRI scanner on campus or within 200 miles. The scanner will be located within a new 200,000 square foot, $130 million, research building located on the medical campus. This facility will house four new human scanner bays and nine animal imaging bays. The human imaging facilities will include three exam/changing rooms, an electronics shop, image processing and visualization laboratories. The proposed 7T scanner will significantly advance the research efforts at the University of Iowa by allowing higher spatial resolution images to be acquired, increased SNR, faster scan times, increased spectral resolution for spectroscopic studies, and 23Na images to be acquired. The proposed scanner is state of the art and includes 1) 128 receive and 8 transmit channels; 2) broad band receiver; 3) high performance gradients; 4) active shielding; and 5) multi-nuclear coils. The MR Research Facility that currently administers existing 1.5T and 3T whole body research systems will manage the proposed 7T scanner. Significant technical expertise exists at the University of Iowa to take full advantage of this scanner and to develop new novel imaging sequences. In addition, the University of Iowa has committed to hiring a new faculty member with expertise in coil design and development. A board-certified MR technologist will also be hired to run this system. Revenues to support other facility expenses will come from user fees. The MR Research Facility already has an internal and external advisory board that will continue in this capacity and will integrate the proposed 7T scanner. The MR research facility is under the Iowa Institute of Biomedical Imaging (IIBI) and is integrated into the University of Iowa's Clinical and Translation Science Award (CTSA) and the NCI funded cancer center. The University of Iowa already has established a Master Research Agreement with Siemens and has developed collaborative efforts for many of the proposed projects included in this application. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: A 7T whole body MRI scanner will facilitate the research of 33 NIH funded investigators at the University of Iowa. Their work will be enhanced by the finer detail available from the images. This instrument will also allow new imaging methods to be used that currently are not available at lower field strengths.