Our research program is focused on the development of techniques for acquisition, reconstruction, and quantitative analysis of Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging and spectral data with the goal of improving the sensitivity and specificity of the data obtained for characterizing human disease, selecting therapy, and monitoring novel treatment paradigms. There are several different approaches to expanding the capabilities of MR:
- Increasing the strength of the main magnetic field
- Improving the gradient and rf hardware capabilities
- Injecting hyperpolarized C13 labeled agents that dramatically increase the magnitude of the signals obtained from the resulting metabolic processes
- Integrating different types of anatomic, physiological, and metabolic imaging information.
All four of these approaches are being pursued as part of the collaborative research in the Surbeck Laboratory for Advanced Imaging and provide number of challenges in terms of the design and optimization of hardware and software components.