| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/K027476/1 |
| Title: |
Optimising Magnetic Susceptibility Mapping to Enhance MRI of Microbubbles |
| Principal Investigator: |
Shmueli, Dr K |
| Other Investigators: |
|
| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
|
| Project Partners: |
|
| Department: |
Medical Physics and Biomedical Eng |
| Organisation: |
UCL |
| Scheme: |
First Grant - Revised 2009 |
| Starts: |
12 February 2014 |
Ends: |
11 August 2016 |
Value (£): |
100,695
|
| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Med.Instrument.Device& Equip. |
Medical Imaging |
|
| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
|
| Related Grants: |
|
| Panel History: |
|
|
Summary on Grant Application Form |
|
Microbubbles (MBs) are an established ultrasound contrast agent but there has been significant recent interest in developing them as a contrast agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). MRI of MBs is useful because of its potential for combined applications in targeted imaging for monitoring and guidance of focused ultrasound therapies and drug and gene delivery. So far, MRI of synthesized MBs has been based on decreases in the MRI signal magnitude. Here, I propose to detect MBs using MRI magnetic susceptibility mapping which uses the phase of the complex MRI signal in gradient-echo MRI sequences. MBs have a different susceptibility than tissue; therefore the central idea here is that MBs present in an area of tissue will change its susceptibility so that it stands out as a bright or dark area in a MRI susceptibility map. I am one of the pioneers of susceptibility mapping: a new method which offers several advantages over conventional magnitude-based imaging. Susceptibility maps promise to enhance MRI of MBs because they are calculated from phase images which have higher contrast-to-noise ratios than standard magnitude images. The contrast in susceptibility maps directly represents the intrinsic magnetic susceptibility in an area and therefore has the potential to measure the MB concentration in that area. The susceptibility of MBs can be selected and tailored for different clinical applications so that MBs create bright (positive) contrast in susceptibility maps. All these advantages of MRI susceptibility mapping mean that it would improve the clinical applicability of MBs as a dual-modality contrast agent for MRI and ultrasound. Susceptibility mapping could also enhance MRI guidance and monitoring of MB-mediated drug and gene delivery and MB-enhanced focused-ultrasound surgery which is currently in use for treating uterine fibroids and is being developed to treat liver, bone, prostate and brain diseases. An EPSRC First Grant will be a springboard for a research programme which will ultimately lead to the development of a broad range of optimised MRI susceptibility-based techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in preclinical models of disease and clinical imaging.
|
|
Key Findings |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Potential use in non-academic contexts |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Impacts |
|
| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
|
| Date Materialised |
|
|
|
|
Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
| Project URL: |
|
| Further Information: |
|
| Organisation Website: |
|