9.4 Tesla Small Animal Magnetic Resonance Scanner

9.4特斯拉小动物磁共振扫描仪

• 批准号: 6803699
• 负责人: Weili Lin
• 金额: $ 200万
• 依托单位: UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-04-15 至 2007-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6803699
• 关键词: biomedical equipment purchase; computed axial tomography; magnetic resonance imaging; positron emission tomography; single photon emission computed tomography; biomedical equipment purchase; computed axial tomography; magnetic resonance imaging; positron emission tomography; single photon emission computed tomography

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this application is to seek funding for purchasing a 9.4T dedicated small animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Recently, extensive efforts have been devoted to the development of non-invasive imaging methods for offering insights into the biological systems, including computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and optical imaging. Among these modalities, MR is definitively the method of choice for providing superb soft tissue contrast, allowing for the investigation of subtle structural abnormalities. In addition, since MR is completely non-invasive, repeated measurements are readily available without worrying about radiation effects so that animals can be studied longitudinally. This is likely to substantially reduce the sample size while achieving a sufficient power. Although small animal imaging can be conducted independent of the field strength, the available signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is proportional to the field strength as well as the spatial resolution. For example, in order to obtain high-resolution small animal images with a sufficiently high SNR, the required data acquisition time is about 36 times longer at 1.5T when compared to that at 9.4T, practically impossible for in vivo small animal imaging. Therefore, in order to obtain high quality and high-resolution small animal images, a 9.4T system is requested in this application. Such a system is likely to have profound implications for a wide variety of research projects and greatly enhance the research capability of the investigators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The research projects listed in our application include cancer-related projects such as brain tumor and colorectal cancers, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, cerebral vascular, and neurological diseases. All of these projects currently require sacrificing the animals and are unable to follow each animal longitudinally. Therefore, one of the immediate benefits of the 9.4T scanner is to offer insights into the biological system non-invasively, allowing longitudinal studies. In addition, through the utilization of MR spectroscopy as well as novel imaging methods, functional information is also readily available with the requested MR scanner. Therefore, there are not doubts that the requested 9.4T scanner will contribute substantially to the biological research at UNC-Chapel Hill. Finally, establishing a small animal imaging center is the highest priority at UNC-Chapel Hill. We have recently devised a CT and SPECT scanners for small animal imaging. The requested 9.4T MR scanner will definitively play a vital role and substantially strengthen our ability to establish a small animal-imaging center at UNC-Chapel Hill.

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请的目的是寻求购买9.4吨专用的小动物磁共振成像（MRI）扫描仪的资金。最近，广泛的努力致力于开发非侵入性成像方法，以提供对生物系统的见解，包括计算机断层扫描（CT），正电子发射断层扫描，单光子发射计算机断层扫描（SPECT）和光学成像。在这些方式中，MR绝对是提供出色的软组织对比的选择方法，从而可以研究微妙的结构异常。此外，由于MR是完全无创的，因此可以轻松获得重复测量，而不必担心辐射效应，因此可以纵向研究动物。这可能会大大减少样本量，同时获得足够的功率。尽管可以独立于田间强度进行小动物成像，但可用的信噪比（SNR）与田间强度和空间分辨率成正比。例如，为了获得足够高的SNR的高分辨率小动物图像，与9.4T相比，所需的数据采集时间约为1.5吨的36倍，而体内小动物成像实际上是不可能的。因此，为了获得高质量和高分辨率的小动物图像，本应用程序中请求9.4T系统。这样的系统可能对各种研究项目具有深远的影响，并大大提高了北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校的研究人员的研究能力。我们应用程序中列出的研究项目包括与癌症相关的项目，例如脑肿瘤和结直肠癌，神经退行性，心血管，脑血管和神经系统疾病。当前所有这些项目都需要牺牲动物，并且无法纵向跟随每只动物。因此，9.4T扫描仪的直接好处之一是非侵入性地提供对生物系统的见解，从而允许纵向研究。此外，通过使用MR光谱和新型成像方法的利用，所需的MR Scanner也很容易获得功能信息。因此，毫无疑问，要求的9.4T扫描仪会为UNC-Chapel Hill的生物学研究做出重大贡献。最后，建立一个小型动物成像中心是UNC-Chapel Hill的最高优先事项。我们最近设计了用于小动物成像的CT和SPECT扫描仪。要求的9.4T Scanner先生将一定会发挥至关重要的作用，并实质上增强了我们在UNC Chapel Hill建立小型动物成像中心的能力。