Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has become one of the most useful technologies for the visualization and quantification of structural features in biological tissues. It is especially useful for serial, non-invasive monitoring of anatomic changes and functional alterations occurring over time. This shared instrumentation grant (SIG) application requests funding for the purchase of a console to retrofit a 9.4 Tesla superconducting magnet with full function capabilities for high resolution spectroscopy and microimaging. This instrument will serve the needs of 5 primary and 5 secondary investigators at Baylor College of Medicine. Their currently active, NIH-funded projects involve investigations of 1) Segmentation and quantitation of components in atherosclerotic lesions, 2) Dynamic measurement of mouse heart structure and function, 3) Atherogenic mechanisms associated with hyperhomocysteinemia, 4) Murine skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle differentiation, 5) Role of acetyI-CoA carboxylases in fat metabolism, 6) Cardiac injury and repair, 7) Effect of inflammation on mouse blood vessel remodeling, 8) Effect of innate immune responses on left ventricular remodeling, 9) Characterization of mutant mice, and 10) Hypothalmic-pituitary development in genetically altered mice. The requested instrument will enable investigators to perform a wide range of in vivo experiments including measurements of blood flow dynamics, tissue fat content, bone and organ size/morphology, and atherosclerotic plaque composition. Acquisition of the requested NMR instrumentation will have a strong positive impact on the quality and quantity of cardiovascular disease research performed at this institution. It will not only enhance basic exploration into cellular and molecular processes leading to atherosclerosis, but also accelerate the discovery of new mechanisms that control cardiac development, injury, and repair.
