FPGG015 - Magnetic Resonance in Inhomogeneous Fields: MRS and MRI from in-vitro to in-vivo
This interdisciplinary project focuses on the development of novel magnetic resonance techniques designed to be effective under hostile conditions, in particular in-vivo where the homogeneity of the magnetic field is often poor. Under such conditions, virtually all established techniques for magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) tend to give poor responses, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) needs extensive corrections after signal acquisition. Preliminary results obtained in the laboratory at the ENS, based on combinations of frequency-modulated pulses and switched field gradients, show that highly resolved MRS can be obtained in-vitro. The proposed interdisciplinary collaboration between the ENS and Institut Curie should allow us to extend the observation of highly resolved NMR spectra to molecular constituents in-vivo. A promising biomedical application appears to be the study of metabolomics in tumors. We have also developed new methods for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in magnetic fields that have poor homogeneity, such as induced by metallic surgical implants, by discontinuities of the magnetic susceptibility (e.g., near air/water interfaces), or by temporal fluctuations (muscular contractions, respiration, heart beat). This research may therefore open new perspectives for medical diagnosis by MRI, bearing in mind that perfectly homogeneous and perfectly static fields are the exception rather than the rule. Furthermore, the novel techniques that will be developed in our laboratories should be attractive for leading MRI companies.
Laboratory of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance - ENS
Main Activity : Chemistry / Physics
Philippe Pelupessy
Laboratory of Experimental Biomedical MRI/MRS - Institut Curie
Main Activity : Biology / Clinics
Andreas Volk