CTSC:BIDMCresources:Center for Basic MR Research

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The BIDMC Center for Basic MR Research provides facilities for NMR spectroscopy and MRI studies of cell culture, perfused organ, excised tissue, and in vivo small animal protocols. The Center operates on an hourly fee basis. Dr Deborah Burstein, the Director of the facility is available to discuss potential projects.

• 8.5 Tesla, 9 cm bore vertical magnet; Bruker DRX system

The 8.5 Tesla vertical bore magnet is equipped with a self-shielded gradient set of 40 mm diameter ID and 75 G/cm maximum gradient strength. A "micromouse" probe is available with a 30 mm ID proton rf coil which can be used for whole body mouse imaging. Cardiac and respiratory gating and monitoring are available with this probe, as are inhalation anesthetics.
A second probe is available with interchangeable rf coils, including:
- bird cage coils with internal diameters of 10 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm
- solenoid coils with diameters of 3 mm, 5 mm
- dual tuned coils of P31/H1 in 25 mm diameter
- surface coil of 1 cm diameter

• 4.7 Tesla, 40 cm bore actively shielded Bruker Biospec Magnet System

The actively shielded 40 cm bore system has the following two gradient sets available:
- 26 cm ID (slew rates: 250 µsec, Maximum gradient: 9 G/cm)
- 12 cm ID (slew rates: 120 µsec, Maximum gradient: 30 G/cm)
In addition, there are a number of rf coils available for use, including:
- bird cage coils 35 mm, 70 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm (ID)
- surface coils, with active decoupling for receive-only operation 15 mm, 30 mm (ID)

• Gas anesthesia and animal monitoring facilities

- A nose cone is used for anesthetic inhalation.
- Respiratory monitoring is available through the use of a pressure transducer placed on the abdominal area of the animal, and ECG monitoring is available through ECG leads. The resulting signals are displayed on a Bruker Physiogard unit, and can be used for triggering of the MRI sequences. Triggering can be respiratory, cardiac, or a combination.

• Data processing

Data processing facilities include 2 IBM based PCs, both with data backup capabilities and standard programs such as Office. In addition, Matlab is running on both systems, with a GUI image processing program written specifically for MRI applications. Fitting routines for T1, T, diffusion, and ASL perfusion imaging are available, with the possibility to update to other modules. The program will produce a color coded overlay of calculated parameter maps overlaid on the proton based image. In addition, the statistics of a given ROI, or fit of a given pixel, are available.