Principal Investigators: Hanzhang Lu, PhD, Jun Hua, PhD, Linda Knutsson, PhD
Co-investigators: Kenichi Oishi, Zhiliang Wei, Peiying Liu, Feng Xu
This TRD develops physiological MRI techniques that provide quantitative and biologically interpretable measures of the brain. These include: (i) non-contrast physiological MRI techniques, such as methods to measure oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2), perfusion, blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability to water, cerebrovascular reactivity, and water exchange between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, and tissue space; (ii) physiological MRI techniques using exogenous agents, such as methods to assess CSF circulation, BBB permeability to gadolinium, and voxe-by-voxel OEF map. We will achieve this through systematic design of novel pulse sequences and data processing methods. To allow these sophisticated measures to be obtained with clinically practical time, fast acquisition methods will be integrated into our techniques such as compressed sensing, multi-band/simultaneous-multi-slice, and parallel imaging. To ensure readiness of these techniques for biomarker testing, small-scale standardization and compatibility assessments will be performed which include intra-session, inter-session, inter-vendor, inter-rater test-retest, and cloud-based MRI data processing. We will develop vendor-agnostic sequences using state-of-the-art platforms such as PulSeq.
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