This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The general aim of this study is to tumor physiology non-invasively using co-registration of MRI and optical techniques. Co-registration of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with MRI imaging provides a unique set of information about tissue physiology and structure. NIRS permits the determination of oxy- and deoxy-hemogoblin, fat and water concentration. Simultaneous MRI co-registration complements the optical data by providing structural and functional images of the optically sampled volume. This NIRS/MRI co-registration technique represents a powerful, novel non-invasive methodology to study tumor physiology and to monitor chemotherapy. The first goal of this project is to provide a complete integration of the NIRS measurements with MRI imaging. This includes the development of an optical probe for spatial mapping of the optical properties. The high resolution MRI image will be used toconstrain the optical inverse problem, i.e. determine locally the concentration of oxy- and deoxy-hemogoblin, fat and water. The knowledge of the structure improves significantly the resolution and accuracy of optical tomography. The second goal is employ optical contrast agents to enhance the contrast of vasculature and in NIRS measurements. Dynamic measurements will provide quantitative data on the permeability of the tumor and surrounding vasculature, which is of great relevance for augmenting our understanding of angiogenesis. These dynamic optical measurements will be compared directly with functional MRI images acquired using radiological contrast agents to look at similarities and differences in information content. The third goal is to applied the methodology developed in the previous parts to animal tumor models. Angiogenesis and the effect of various chemotherapy agents will be study on rats. This study will provide a precise methodology for optics/MRI studies that will, in the future, be extended to human clinical studies.
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