4.7T MRI for Translational Research Animal Facility

Project Summary We are proposing to obtain a Bruker Biospin Advance Neo 47/40 USR pre-clinical MR imaging system with Paravision 360 software, including a 4.7T (Tesla) 40 cm magnet, gradient and shim coils (main and upgraded one for rodents), gradient/shim cooling, RF amplifiers, shim amplifier, Faraday cage, several RF volume and planar surface coils. For the proposed application, the major projects consist of 19 funded NIH projects (14 NIH R01 projects, a NIH R21 project, 4 NIH P20 funded projects), as well as 2 Dept. of Defense (DoD) projects, and a Veteran Affairs (VA) project; as well as 5 minor projects (4 NIH R01 projects, and one VA project), primarily from The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center ( OUHSC), Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Oklahoma State University (OSU), the Hough Ear Institute, The University of Oklahoma (Norman campus), and the VA Medical Center, that will all directly benefit from the proposed preclinical MRI equipment. The proposed 47/40 USR magnet, Advance Neo hardware and Paravision 360 will allow researchers in Oklahoma and the region to obtain fast, non-distorted imaging data for oncological, neurological, cardiac/cardiovascular, infectious diseases and bone-related investigations. The projects range in biomedical research from oncology studies â€Â" lung, pancreatic, ovarian, melanomas, and general tumor biology; neurological diseases â€Â" septic encephalopathy, myopia, mild traumatic brain injury, stress-induced chronic pain, neurovascular dysfunction, and hearing impairment; cardiac/cardiovascular diseases â€Â" tachycardia, and cardiovascular aging; infectious diseases â€Â" zika virus, herpes simplex virus, bacillus endophthalmitis, and clostridium difficile; to bone-related diseases â€Â" osteoarthritis. Experimental animal species to be investigated include mice, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas, swine (mini), dogs and non-human primates. The proposed equipment will significantly enhance the biomedical imaging and translational preclinical research that for Oklahoma biomedical research institutions.