Upgrade of a 3T Siemens Trio MRI scanner at the University of Rochester

描述(由申请人提供)：目前NCRR对SIG计划的建议的目标是获得资源，用于升级当前研究专用的3T西门子MRI扫描仪，该扫描仪是由NSF和私人基金会基金购买的，于2004年9月投入使用。当这台扫描仪被购买时，它是最先进的，它为罗切斯特大学(和邻近机构)的广泛研究社区提供了出色的服务。然而，随着磁共振技术的不断进步，扫描仪正在落后于尖端图像采集的曲线。限制包括采集速度、空间分辨率、实时功能磁共振成像以及对患者运动和图像伪影校正的补偿。此外，该扫描仪已从侧重于神经成像转向适用于癌症、骨科和肌肉骨骼研究的广泛的结构、功能、扩散/灌注和光谱模式，仅举几个新的用户群体。因此，升级扫描仪以使专门的线圈能够在不重新定位患者的情况下进行全身成像变得重要。西门子要求的特定升级称为TIM(总成像矩阵)，包括硬件(射频线圈和接收器、梯度和新计算机)和软件(新的脉冲序列和后处理工具)，以提高图像采集速度，提高结构和功能扫描的空间分辨率，增加获得实时功能磁共振成像的能力，减少敏感性伪影，并为全身扫描提供线圈。这一升级不仅将加强正在进行的研究项目，还将扩大用户基础，以包括无法从目前的扫描仪中受益的新调查人员。目前的项目包括神经成像、癌症成像和骨科成像的研究。值得注意的是，罗切斯特大学对3T成像中心做出了大量承诺，包括空间翻新(近100万美元)和持续运营预算(每年超过50万美元)。对3T扫描仪的拟议升级是对罗切斯特大学更广泛的成像战略计划的补充，该战略计划已经导致了三名终身教职员工的招聘和几名额外的教师招聘(一份尚未完成的工作，以及几份计划在未来几年内完成的工作)。 与公共卫生相关：升级后的扫描仪将显著增强罗切斯特大学的一系列新的基础和转化性研究项目。基础研究项目旨在研究大脑如何调节复杂行为的基本方面，如视觉、语言和学习，转化性研究项目旨在疾病的早期诊断、治疗前的疾病状态评估以及为获得最佳结果而调整治疗方案。这种对正常和病理状态的广泛研究将极大地受益于改进的解剖、代谢和功能成像，包括神经学、癌症和骨科专科。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the present NCRR proposal to the SIG program is to obtain resources for the upgrade of a current research-dedicated 3T Siemens MRI scanner that was purchased with NSF and private foundation funds and dedicated in September of 2004. When this scanner was purchased, it was state-of-the-art and it has provided outstanding service to the broad research community at the University of Rochester (and neighboring institutions). As MR technology continues to advance, however, the scanner is falling behind the curve of cutting-edge image acquisition. Limitations include the speed of acquisition, spatial resolution, real-time fMRI, and compensation for patient motion and image artifacts corrections. In addition, the scanner has shifted from a focus on neuroimaging to a broad array of structural, functional, diffusion/perfusion, and spectroscopic modalities applicable to cancer, orthopaedic and musculoskeletal research, to name just a few new user groups. Thus, it has become important to upgrade the scanner to enable specialized coils to conduct whole-body imaging without repositioning the patient. The specific upgrade that is requested from Siemens, called TIM (Total Imaging Matrix), consists of hardware (RF coils and receivers, gradients, and new computers) and software (new pulse sequences and post-processing tools) that improve the speed of image acquisition, improve the spatial resolution of both structural and functional scans, add the capability of obtaining real-time fMRI, reduce susceptibility artifacts, and provide coils for whole-body scanning. This upgrade will not only enhance on-going research projects but will expand the user-base to include new investigators who otherwise were unable to benefit from the current scanner. Current projects include studies of neuroimaging, cancer imaging, and orthopaedic imaging. It is important to note that the University of Rochester has made substantial commitments to the 3T imaging center in the form of space renovations (nearly $1 million) and on-going operating budget (over $500,000 per year). The proposed upgrade to the 3T scanner complements a broader strategic plan for imaging at the University of Rochester that has already resulted in three tenure-track faculty hires and several additional faculty hires (one outstanding offer and several planned for the next few years). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The upgraded scanner will significantly enhance a broad range of new basic and translational research projects at the University of Rochester. The basic research projects are aimed at fundamental aspects of how the brain mediates complex behaviors such as vision, language, and learning, and the translational research projects are aimed at the early diagnosis of disease, the assessment of disease states prior to treatment, and the adjustment of treatment regimes for optimal outcome. This broad range of studies of normal and pathological states will benefit greatly from improved anatomic, metabolic, and functional imaging, including neurological, cancer, and orthopaedic specializations.