Non-invasive in-vivo magnetic resonance imaging of microvascular physiology

测量小血管的血流量、血管大小和其他生理特性可提供有关组织健康和异常改变性质的有价值的信息。磁共振成像(MRI)等现代医学成像技术提供了一种非侵入性的方法来测量这些特性，但它们都需要注射造影剂。这一要求排除了重复测量，非常年幼的儿童和其他敏感对象不能接触到。在这个方案中，我们开发了一个真正的非侵入性MRI平台，以精细的空间细节测量微小血管的结构和功能--而不需要注入对比剂。这是一项新的变革性技术，将极大地扩大与小血管相关的基础和应用研究的范围。*对于这种新的非侵入性MRI方法，我们建议使用对每个人都安全的改良吸入空气作为对比剂注射的替代品。为了建立初步的技术基础，这项提议将发展测量小血管的流量、体积和大小的能力。这项研究的新奇之处在于生理学与成像、物理和数学概念的使用和整合。这项技术将提供独特的能力，以精细的空间细节测量结构和功能参数，而不需要对比剂注入。目前还没有一种技术提供类似的信息广度或精细描绘。这项研究的影响跨越多个学科。这将为无创微血管成像技术的发展奠定工程和物理科学的新方向。它将促进对正常和疾病过程研究的基础生物医学研究，包括癌症、缺血和其他血管相关疾病的药物发现。一种可重复的、普遍可用的、真正的非侵入性成像技术的好处最终将被用于改善人类的疾病诊断和治疗。**********

Measuring blood flow, vessel size, and other physiological properties of small blood vessels provides valuable information about the health of tissue and the nature of abnormal alterations. Modern medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide a non-invasive way to measure these properties, but they all require the injection of contrast agents. This requirement precludes repeated measurements and is not accessible to very young children and other sensitive subjects. In this proposal, we develop a truly non-invasive MRI platform to measure small vessel structure and function with fine spatial detail - without injecting contrast. This is a novel and transformative technology that will greatly expand the scope of basic and applied research related to small blood vessels. ** **We propose for this new non-invasive MRI approach the use of modified inhaled air, which is safe for everyone, as a substitute for contrast agent injection. To build the initial technical foundation, this proposal will develop the capability to measure the flow, volume, and size of small blood vessels. What is novel in this research is the use and integration of physiology with concepts in imaging, physics, and mathematics. This technology will provide the unique ability to measure structural and functional parameters with fine spatial detail and without contrast injection. No current technique provides similar breadth of information or fine delineation. The impact of this research spans multiple disciplines. It will establish a new direction in engineering and the physical sciences for non-invasive microvascular imaging technology development. It will improve basic biomedical research into studies of normal and disease processes, including drug discoveries for cancer, ischemia, and other vessel-related conditions. The benefits of a repeatable, universally accessible, and truly non-invasive imaging technology will ultimately be reaped for improved disease diagnosis and treatment in humans. **********