We are requesting funds to purchase a Siemens MAGNETOM Terra 7T coil upgrade for our Siemens 7T MRI scanner at a budgetary quote of $862,550. The upgrade is comprised of four Siemens recommended coils for scanning various parts of the body (head, body, knee, and wrist). The upgrade will be integrated into our existing Siemens 7T MRI scanner at the SFVAMC. Each coil is required for imaging its corresponding body part, therefore there are no optional components and the components are dedicated to our 7T MRI system and so cannot be used independently. The following hardware components are provided through this upgrade: Coils for the Siemens MAGNETOM 7T MRI scanner: ? Head coil: Siemens Nova 32 ch Rx, 8 ch Tx ($299,000) ? Body coil: MRI.TOOLS 32 ch Rx, 32 ch Tx adaptive modular design ($295,100) ? Knee coil: Siemens QED 28 ch Rx, 1 ch Tx ($156,000) ? Wrist coil: RAPID 16 ch Rx, 1 ch Tx ($112,950) With the next generation Siemens 7T Terra system expected to soon receive FDA approval for clinical neuro and MSK imaging, expanding our 7T system?s capability to meet that of the Terra is needed to pioneer new clinical applications for veteran health in areas such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We are requesting the 7T coil package listed above as an upgrade to our 7T system. Critically, not only would this upgrade improve our whole brain neuroimaging capabilities (e.g. lower SAR and improved homogeneity of quality throughout) but it would also allow for expansion and integration of cutting edge ultra-high field body, cardiac, and musculoskeletal research. Such research would address patient care at the system wide level (e.g. co-morbid metabolic, vascular or inflammatory illnesses that interact with mental health). Funding this proposal would also greatly augment our ongoing efforts to recruit high-quality faculty candidates as well as efforts to attract cross-institution collaborators, which help keep the VA at the cutting edge of imaging technology development and clinical applications and ultimately supports veterans afflicted with disease, such as neurological (TBI) and psychiatric (PTSD) disorders, for whom adequate diagnostic tools are not yet available.

Public Health Relevance

The ability to acquire higher quality, higher resolution, whole brain and body MR images at 7T with the proposed coils will improve Veteran health by providing researchers and clinicians the tools to better understand disease pathology while also enabling them to provide veterans with earlier, more detailed, more accurate diagnoses and treatment plans. The proposed 7T coil upgrade will facilitate developments across the spectrum, including but not limited to: traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), post- traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), chronic pain, schizophrenia, addiction, depression, and cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the 7T coil upgrade will greatly augment the research at the SFVAMC as a catalyst for interdepartmental and inter-institutional collaborations as well as new faculty hires. This will help keep the VA at the cutting edge of imaging technology development and clinical applications, thereby helping veterans afflicted with disease for which diagnostic tools are not yet adequate or available.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Veterans Affairs (VA)
Type
Veterans Administration (IS1)
Project #
1IS1BX004816-01
Application #
9794936
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRD1)
Project Start
2019-01-01
Project End
2019-09-30
Budget Start
2019-01-01
Budget End
2019-09-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2019
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Veterans Affairs Medical Center San Francisco
Department
Type
DUNS #
078763885
City
San Francisco
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94121