Center for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technology at Stanford

Renewal of the NCRR Center for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Technology is proposed. Magnetic resonance instrument manufacturers Introduce new technology in their products based on marketing and other factors that often preclude the timely availability of cutting edge research capabilities for investigators. To fill this gap, the Center will develop and make available innovative technologies in five core research areas of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy (MRI/MRS): (1) image reconstruction, fast imaging and RF pulse design methods, (2) MR hardware, (3) body imaging methods, (4) neuroimaging methods, and (5) MR spectroscopy methods. In each of these areas, we will capitalize on the extensive experience in Stanford's Radiology and Electrical Engineering departments to improve and expand imaging technology for use in basic research and clinical care, and to provide cutting edge opportunities for biomedical research with MRI. Over the past five years, the Center has been motivated by and has served a wide base of extramurally sponsored collaborators and service users from leading medical and research institutions. We will continue to nurture these collaborations and mutually enrich our research and development efforts. Examples of collaborative projects today are the development and use of advanced functional MRI imaging methods in neurosciences and clinical applications and studies of breast cancer with efficient MRS methods. We will continue to train students and postdoctoral fellows to be the future leaders in MR, to publish extensively, and to provide educational opportunities to the scientific and medical communities we serve. New technology and technological capabilities developed at the Center and as part of our extensive collateral research will be disseminated rapidly for widespread use in the national research community. Publications, conference presentations, annual reports and the internet will continue to form the backbone of our dissemination efforts.