Molecular and cellular imaging by magnetic resonance(MR) provides real time in vivo analyses of the physiological, cellular, and molecular processes that occur in living tissues and their responses to medical interventions. New imaging techniques can monitor changes in tumor volume, tumor vascular permeability, cell-specific biochemical markers, protein expression, intratumoral drug concentrations and metabolism, and cell recruitment. The purpose of the newly proposed MRI Facility is to provide state of the art MR imaging (MRI) of both small animals and cancer patients, to support research activities of UPCI members.
The specific aims of the Facility are: (1) Provide comprehensive state of the art MRI methods, to support both basic and clinical scientific efforts in an economic and comprehensive fashion. These services include molecular and cellular imaging techniques, by supplying pulse sequence design and implementation, imaging protocol development, contrast agent synthesis, and data analyses package development services; (2) To provide consultation by the appropriate experts in the design and application of relevant MRI methods, so that UPCI members can knowledgeably choose the most suitable technique for their research; (3) To provide access to the appropriate instrumentation and the technical, physical, and intellectual skills to carry out these techniques, so that UPCI members will be able to utilize efficient and cutting edge imaging methods in a convenient and economical fashion, including pulse sequence design and implementation, imaging protocol development, contrast agent syntheses, and data analyses package development. During the past year, UPCI has recruited two new faculty members with expertise in cancer imaging, and in parallel, in recent years both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, working closely together, have invested heavily in both small animal and human MRI fystems. The funds requested for this new Facility will provide partial support for individuals with the technical expertise, purchase of supplies, and provide imaging time, so that UPCI investigators can use in vivo molecular and cellular methods to gain new and noninvasive insights into the physiology, biology, and biochemistry of cancer, at a minimal cost, which are expected to lead to advances in the accurate diagnosis of primary and metastatic tumors, and the assessment of responses to therapy for cancer.
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