Project Summary / Abstract Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a novel tomographic imaging modality, with unprecedented contrast, depth of penetration and sensitivity (1 micromolar sensitivity today; 100 nM soon). MPI is only being actively researched in a few labs in North America, and in a dozen labs in the EU.
ABSTRACT (30 Lines) The BRAIN initiative (RFA-EB-19-002) has called for the development of entirely new or next-generation noninvasive human brain imaging tools and methods that will lead to transformative advances in our understanding of the human brain.
Molecular MRI of Brain Metabolism enabled by Long-Lived Spin States Abstract: Brain function is regulated by molecular signaling and metabolism, however our ability to track metabolic transformations of individual metabolites deep in the brain pales compared to their central relevance to life. It is our goal to establish technology for tomographic mapping of metabolites and their metabolic pathways directly in the brain.
We propose to develop a probe technology for monitoring human brain function with molecular precision; in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or other imaging modalities, the probes will provide a combination of sensitivity and resolution that could permit unprecedented noninvasive studies of dynamic neu- rophysiological processes in people.
In this U01 grant we propose a 5 year engineering development effort to advance Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) to replace MRI as the next-generation functional brain imaging tool for human neuroscience. MPI is a young but extremely promising technology that uses the non-linear magnetic response of ironoxide nanoparticles to localize their presence in the body. MPI directly detects the nanoparticle's magnetization rather than using secondary effects on the Magnetic Resonance relaxation times.
Project Summary/Abstract According to the BRAIN 2025 working group report, there is a need to drastically improve the spatiotemporal resolution of positron emission tomography (PET), in order to facilitate the translation of new tracers that target neuroreceptor function and dynamic PET imaging on the mi
Project Summary A complete understanding of both normal brain function and neurological disorders / mental illness will require the deciphering of the complex brain networks that underlie behavior and cognition, at both whole-brain and microscopic scales. The difficulty of structurally and functionally mapping these brain networks in living human subjects with sufficient sensitivity and resolution to understand normal function and detect pathological change represents a fundamental challenge.
Abstract: Our brain is a complex network with multiple levels of organization in white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM). The axonal and dendritic organizations of local GM tissue form one of the structural bases of normal brain functions. In addition, recent histopathology evidence has consistently demonstrated alterations in GM architectures in several neurological diseases, e.g., the Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, autism and epilepsy. Capturing these microstructural changes using non-invasive imaging techniques is extremely important but has not been achieved.
Project Summary/Abstract With this grant application we aim to dramatically improve over the capabilities of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) by developing a completely novel approach to measure human brain function.
