Water Exchange in the Vasculature of the Brain (WEX-BRAIN)
Lead Research Organisation:
Cardiff University
Department Name: Sch of Psychology
Abstract
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| Description | - Diffusion MRI methods can be used to measure water exchange across the blood-brain barrier in the healthy brain |
| Exploitation Route | Application in a range of neurological diseases to probe subtle blood brain barrier involvement, potentially as an early marker of disease. |
| Sectors | Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | The wider WEX-BRAIN team has been involved in a number of public engagement activities that have helped inform members of the public of the role that MRI plays in diagnosing neurological diseases. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | National Facility for In Vivo MR Imaging of Human Tissue Microstructure |
| Amount | £148,521 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/M029778/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2015 |
| End | 05/2022 |
| Description | TracInnovations |
| Organisation | TracInnovations ApS |
| Country | Denmark |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | TracInnovations makes an markerless optical tracking system for prospective/retrospective motion correction in the MRI scanner (see: https://tracinnovations.com/) The EPSRC equipment grant includes provision for an optical tracking system. While we originally intended to purchase another system (from Kineticor), the TracInnovations solution appears optimal. However, the challenge is that the system was developed for another MRI scanner - and interfacing it into the Connectom scanner (funded by this grant) is challenging due to reduced field-of-view afforded by the RF hardware, and due to the smaller bore of the scanner. We have therefore committed to explore ways in which we can develop solutions (with the company) to get the system to work in the Connectom. This includes some preliminary work on an alternative system in CUBRIC (a 3T Prisma system) |
| Collaborator Contribution | The company has agreed to hold regular (monthly) teleconferences with D. Jones, and to provide materials and spare parts to help develop solutions to this problem, with joint team meetings to review progress and results. |
| Impact | None yet |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Title | Implementation of FEXI sequence on Connectom 300 mT/m MRI system |
| Description | This is implementation of the filtered exchange imaging (FEXI) sequence that is critical to the WEX-BRAIN project (EP/S031510/1). This sub-project to Cardiff was explicitly to implement the sequence on the Siemens Connectom scanner, one of just four in the world, with ultra-strong (300 mT/m) gradients. The sequence had to be built from basics and a working prototype has been created. This is still under evaluation in collaboration with the main WEX-BRAIN partners at UCL (EP/S031510/1) |
| Type Of Technology | New/Improved Technique/Technology |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | None as yet - still under evaluation |