? We request continued funding for our multi-disciplinary research center on the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to biomedical sciences. Our main goal is to develop, implement, and apply state-of-the-art techniques in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) to obtain accurate morphological, biochemical, and physiological information in important biomedical problems. To achieve our goal, we propose five technological research and development (TRD) projects, five collaborative research (CR) projects, and 7 service projects. The proposed TRD projects address the following areas: (i) non-invasive detection of allograft rejection using MRI; (ii) in-vivo MR microscopy; (iii) quantitative perfusion imaging; (iv) MR bioimaging methodologies for monitoring function of transplanted organs; and (v) high-resolution dynamic imaging. The five CR projects are: (i) monitoring immune cell migration by in-vivo MRI in rats; (ii) non-invasive detection of rejection by MRI in large animals; (iii) non-invasive measurement of tissue distribution and anti-tumor activity of adoptively transferred, IL-2 activated natural killer cells; (iv) MRI in the assessment of experimentally induced traumatic brain injury in rats; and (v) determination of age- and gender-dependent forebrain structural alterations in wave-1 mice using MR microscopy. Our service projects, which cover a broad spectrum in biomedical sciences, rely on the facilities and expertise in the NMR Center. We offer a training program for graduate and M.D./Ph.D. students as well as postdoctoral research associates and medical fellows. For dissemination of information, our results are presented at scientific meetings and published in journals. We will also distribute our results through the World Wide Web. A distinct feature of our NMR Center is the ability to bring together the talents of people from different disciplines, such as NMR, electrical and computer engineering, ? ?
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