Funding is requested for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible postitron emission tomography (PET) insert to upgrade an existing small animal 4.7T MRI scanner to allow for simultaneous MR-PET. The upgrade would result in the first small bore simultaneous MR-PET scanner in the northeast United States. The proposed instrument will be a crucial component in facilitating the development and synthesis of novel molecular imaging probes and for the identification of biomarkers for specific disease states and biological processes. The small animal simultaneous MR-PET scanner will serve a large NIH-funded user community encompassing a wide variety of biomedical disciplines. We currently serve users both within the MGH/Harvard/MIT system as well as from around the greater Boston/Cambridge region. While there has been an explosion of interest in simultaneous MR-PET molecular imaging, currently users do not have access to a small animal simultaneous MR-PET scanner in which to test, optimize, and validate new molecular imaging contrast agents. Our current clinical simultaneous MR-PET scanners do not have sufficient PET or MR resolution for small animal imaging and are oversubscribed with clinical studies in any event. The requested equipment would greatly expand our capacity to serve the local NIH-funded user community, as well as offer an important facility for rapidly expanding the user base with molecular imaging interests. In particular, the proposed instrument would allow for testing and validating new molecular imaging probes, development of bimodal probes, and for performing combined advanced MR and PET studies of brain and cardiac structure and function. The molecular imaging upgrade will accelerate the current research of 15 NIH- funded research programs supported by 6 NIH Institutes, 1 DoD-funded program, and two institutionally funded projects. Projects requiring the PET insert and the MRI scanner upgrades include the development of PET or multimodal probes for studying (1) thrombosis, (2) pulmonary fibrosis, (3) cancers (brain, breast, colorectal, carcinoid, hepatocellular carcinoma), (4) response to tumor therapies, (5) chronic kidney disease, (6) hepatitis, (7) arthritis, (8) heart disease, (9) gulf war illness, (10) drug abuse, (11) neuroscience, and (12) stroke. The PET insert will also enable methodology projects that seek to improve the performance and accuracy of PET by combining MR measures to correct for motion and partial volume effects.
Molecular imaging is a fast developing field focused on the visualization of cellular and molecular events that can provide vital insights into the mechanisms of disease and their response to therapeutic treatment. The proposed molecular imaging upgrade will enable combined high performance MRI and PET imaging in a single device. This scanner will play a key role in the development and validation of new molecular imaging probes that target specific biomolecules as well as the identification of endogenous biomarkers of different disease states.
