Instrumentation Upgrade for Small Animal Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Description:

The Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) is a multidisciplinary research center designed to bring expertise and tools from multiple departments together to accelerate research and discovery. The imaging facilities housed at WIMR include clinical and pre-clinical CT, MRI, photoacoustic, and positron emission tomography (PET) capabilities that are essential to the WIMR mission. Pre-clinical (or small animal) imaging is a vital component to translational research, and the Small Animal Imaging and Radiotherapy Facility (SAIRF) housed at WIMR provides service to clients across the UW Carbone Cancer Center, Medical Physics, Radiology and many other departments.

This project will fund MRI scanner hardware and software upgrade for the SAIRF with the goal of upgrading the small animal MR instrument with new electronics and software to enable a stable, vendor-supported hardware and software platform to support ongoing growth of preclinical MR imaging at WIMR as a vital tool in the translational research process; and enable advanced MR imaging techniques to support needed research initiatives for high performance diffusion MRI and spectroscopy. The proposed upgrade will transform small animal MRI at WIMR from a basic imaging service to an advanced imaging tool comparable to capabilities available at peer institutions.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

Alan McMillan, associate professor of radiology

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

Sean Fain, professor of medical physics

CO-INVESTIGATORS:

Beth Meyerand, professor of medical physics

Beth Rauch, senior research specialist in medical physics

Samuel Hurley, assistant scientist in radiology

Jamey Weichert, associate professor of radiology

CORE:

Small Animal Imaging and Radiotherapy Facility