The objectives of this project are to develop fundamental techniques and clinical applications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), using state- of-the-art art clinical MRI system that will be devoted to research. By providing a dedicated MRI research facility, this project will significantly aid the work of a group of NIH-funded investigators at this institution, whose research is currently restricted by the limited access available to the present, predominantly clinical, MRI systems. The principal investigator and five other core users are each principal investigators on NIH-sponsored research projects in MRI, covering a spectrum of research areas from basic imaging physics to clinical studies. While the specific areas of MRI investigation are diverse, all of these projects would benefit significantly from having freer access to a state-of-the-art clinical MRI system. These core projects would take up approximately 75% of the available instrument time on the proposed system. Assistance with the allocation of the remaining time, as well as with other administrative and policy matters will be provided by an advisory committee of other researchers. Day-to-day supervision and technical assistance for users will be provided by an experienced MR researcher. The availability of this dedicated research MRI system will provide the means for an already productive group of MRI researchers to significantly speed their progress toward improving the clinical utility of MRI.
