The principal objective of this research is to develop improved methods for hyperpolarized helium-3 (3He) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lung. Hyperpolarized 3He was recently introduced as an inhaled contrast agent for MRI and has already shown substantial potential for providing medically relevant information about lung disease that is unmatched by any other modality. By exploiting the unique characteristics of hyperpolarized 3He, methods will be developed that improve the reproducibility of 3He MRI and permit a substantial increase in the acquisition speed or the signal-to-noise ratio compared to currently available strategies. Because the proposed techniques provide fundamental methodological improvements, they will be broadly applicable to 3He MRI of the lung, thereby substantially enhancing the potential for this exciting technology to strengthen our understanding of pulmonary function and pathology, and to improve our ability to diagnose and treat pulmonary diseases such as emphysema and asthma. Specifically, the research aims to: (1) develop a phase-based method for accurate transmitter calibration that can be integrated into a breath-hold image acquisition, eliminating the need for a separate dose of hyperpolarized gas to calibrate the scanner; (2) implement, optimize and evaluate new MRI pulse sequences that minimize signal loss due to the inherently high diffusivity of 3He, thereby limiting image blurring from this signal loss while permitting a substantially increased signal-to-noise ratio compared to current techniques; (3) evaluate the characteristics of 3He MRI of the lung over a range of magnetic field strengths as the basis for deriving field-strength optimized imaging configurations; and (4) implement a prototype multiple radio-frequency-coil array and evaluate the potential of parallel-acquisition methods to accelerate 3He MRI of the lung without a substantial loss in signal-to-noise ratio. The anticipated speed and signal-to-noise ratio improvements for 3He lung MRI that will result from success with these methods can be translated into important practical enhancements, such as increased spatial resolution, increased anatomical coverage in patients with impaired respiratory function, a decreased dose of hyperpolarized 3He while maintaining spatial resolution, or higher temporal resolution in dynamic functional studies. These advanced techniques will thereby provide a new quality of information and thus new opportunities for clinicians and scientists who endeavor to study and treat diseases of the lung.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01HL079077-01A1
Application #
6979905
Study Section
Biomedical Imaging Technology Study Section (BMIT)
Program Officer
Croxton, Thomas
Project Start
2005-07-01
Project End
2009-06-30
Budget Start
2005-07-01
Budget End
2006-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$644,321
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Virginia
Department
Radiation-Diagnostic/Oncology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
065391526
City
Charlottesville
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
22904
Komlosi, Peter; Altes, Talissa A; Qing, Kun et al. (2017) Signal-to-noise ratio, T2 , and T2* for hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI of the human lung at three magnetic field strengths. Magn Reson Med 78:1458-1463
Komlosi, Peter; Altes, Talissa A; Qing, Kun et al. (2015) Regional anisotropy of airspace orientation in the lung as assessed with hyperpolarized helium-3 diffusion MRI. J Magn Reson Imaging 42:1777-82
Qing, Kun; Altes, Talissa A; Tustison, Nicholas J et al. (2015) Rapid acquisition of helium-3 and proton three-dimensional image sets of the human lung in a single breath-hold using compressed sensing. Magn Reson Med 74:1110-5
Wang, Chengbo; Mugler 3rd, John P; de Lange, Eduard E et al. (2014) Lung injury induced by secondhand smoke exposure detected with hyperpolarized helium-3 diffusion MR. J Magn Reson Imaging 39:77-84
Mugler 3rd, John P; Altes, Talissa A (2013) Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI of the human lung. J Magn Reson Imaging 37:313-31
Dregely, Isabel; Ruset, Iulian C; Wiggins, Graham et al. (2013) 32-channel phased-array receive with asymmetric birdcage transmit coil for hyperpolarized xenon-129 lung imaging. Magn Reson Med 70:576-83
Dregely, Isabel; Ruset, Iulian C; Mata, Jaime F et al. (2012) Multiple-exchange-time xenon polarization transfer contrast (MXTC) MRI: initial results in animals and healthy volunteers. Magn Reson Med 67:943-53
Mata, Jaime; Altes, Talissa; Truwit, Jonathon et al. (2011) Characterization and detection of physiologic lung changes before and after placement of bronchial valves using hyperpolarized helium-3 MR imaging: preliminary study. Acad Radiol 18:1195-9
Dregely, Isabel; Mugler 3rd, John P; Ruset, Iulian C et al. (2011) Hyperpolarized Xenon-129 gas-exchange imaging of lung microstructure: first case studies in subjects with obstructive lung disease. J Magn Reson Imaging 33:1052-62
Tustison, Nicholas J; Awate, Suyash P; Cai, Jing et al. (2010) Pulmonary kinematics from tagged hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI. J Magn Reson Imaging 31:1236-41

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