In Phase I, a novel volume RF coil array with a further 40 percent improvement in S/N for high resolution brain imaging will be developed at 1.5T. Phantom measurements and volunteer evaluations will be performed to evaluate the S/N, uniformity, coverage, claustrophobia, etc. Phase II will involve optimizing the coil design, followed by extensive phantom and volunteer evaluations to achieve a high image quality over the brain. This design will be extended to 1.0 and 0.5T field strengths, validated and clinically verified prior to productization. Submissions to the FDA and ETL for obtaining regulatory and compliance approvals will be made prior to the Phase II completion. Potential research and clinical uses include the broad-based functional, structural and vascular examinations of patients with neuropsychiatric diseases, stroke and cancer. All this will translate into improved image quality, enhanced diagnostic accuracy in reduced scan times, decreasing patient discomfort while increasing throughput in a MR scanner. This we believe will be of substantial benefit to mankind and the US economy. A further 2 increase in S/N is a significant improvement and will set a new INDUSTRY STANDARD for RF coils in the entire MRI industry.
Clinical applications include non-ionizing brain imaging when compared to ionizing radiation techniques such as PET, SPECT. This project will provide a significant improvement to the MRI RF coil technology including sequence and technique optimizations. If clinical value is demonstrated, MR systems based on this technology will find widespread applications in the areas of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, neurology, stroke and trauma, and cancer.
