USTAR-funded MRI Scanner Made Available to Six Promising New Studies

SALT LAKE CITY – April 30, 2009 – Pilot imaging projects at the University of Utah (U of U) may move us closer to a world where the blind can see using artificial vision, where architectural design enhances contemplation, and where the brain changes associated with autism, bipolar disorder, and cerebral palsy are understood.

In an effort to aid investigators in securing more extramural grant money for imaging research, the U of U’s Brain Institute and the Utah Center for Advanced Imaging Research (UCAIR) have awarded six pilot projects to utilize an advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner.

The six successful applicants – representing five different U of U departments – have each been awarded 10 hours of highly expensive scanner time, free of charge. Priority was given to neuroscience-focused applications.

“‘You have to spend money to make money’ is a common expression. The same can be said of MRI studies,” said John A. White, executive director of the Brain Institute and a USTAR researcher at the U of U. “This program gives researchers a better chance to win federal or industry-funded grants. You have to do preliminary proof-of-concept scanning to win grants that call for extensive, highly expensive scanning.”

The Siemens 3 Tesla (3T) MRI scanner – located at the Imaging and Neurosciences Center in Research Park – was brought to the U of U as a result of the state’s USTAR initiative. (A Tesla is a standard unit to measure the strength of the MRI magnetic field – 3T is about 60,000 times stronger than the earth’s magnetic field.) Several USTAR research teams at the U of U focus on brain medicine and advanced imaging, and the MRI was part of the capital investment to attract top researchers from out of state to come to Utah. Nationwide, rates for using such devices typically top $600 an hour.

USTAR researchers Perry Renshaw and Deborah Yurgelun-Todd spearheaded the pilot program to increase usage of the 3T scanner. A requirement of the pilot program is for each awardee to submit an application for extramural funding based on the pilot data obtained during the one-year funding period. An ultimate goal is to bring in external funding to support operation of the Siemens 3T scanner.

“The program will benefit research in general, and in time, bring in revenue to offset our costs of running and maintaining the device. It’s an investment in future breakthroughs as well as being a sound business approach,” White said. “It’s also one of many examples of how the state’s support of USTAR pays off for all basic research in Utah.”

Dennis Parker, Director of UCAIR, agrees. “The 3T MRI scanner, in general, has had a huge impact on building a broad-based, multifaceted research program at the University of Utah and beyond.”

The 2009 Pilot Program in Imaging Research awardees are:

Jeffrey S. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Radiology (Neuroradiology)

• Cortical Plasticity in Late Blind Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients: Candidate Selection for Artificial Vision
• Project goal: Map the visual cortex in blind patients to better understand and prepare for implantation of cortical electrode implants for artificial vision (when that technology is approved for human trials).

Julio Bermudez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Architecture and Planning

• fMRI Study of Architecturally-Induced Contemplative States
• Project goal: Investigate the effect of architecture on contemplative mental states with promising cognitive, emotional, and health benefits to a wide population.

Josh Bonkowksy, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology

• Characterization of Basal Ganglia Injury in Infants Following Hypoxic Insults
• Project goal: Investigate the pathology and effects of injury to the basal ganglia in infants, which can lead to screening of potential therapies.

Sarah Creem-Regehr, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology

• Individual Differences in Spatial Cognition
• Project goal: Contribute to a theoretical understanding of the differences in abilities relevant to spatial understanding, including object recognition, navigation and action planning.

Janet E. Lainhart, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry

• Neural Correlates of Savant Skills in Autism
• Project goal: Develop a more detailed understanding of brain structure and function correlates of exceptional (savant) skills in autism that will hopefully inform our understanding of neural mechanisms involved and lead to the development of new interventions for less able individuals with the disorder.

Melissa Lopez-Larson, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

• Structural and Functional Connectivity in Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder
• Project goal: Increase understanding of the maturation of brain networks in adolescence, with potential relevance to bipolar disorder and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

The Brain Institute plans to fund five more pilot projects in 2010. As was the case in 2009, proposals will be accepted from U of U faculty and faculty from other Utah universities who are Brain Institute members.

###

About the Brain Institute

The Brain Institute was founded in 2005 to be a coordinating center for neuroscience research in Utah. The Brain Institute is made up of more than 140 investigators from four Utah universities, and a small core staff that orchestrates collaboration among the faculty members. Basic scientists, clinical researchers, engineers, industry partners, advocacy organizations, and invested community members are working together under the Brain Institute umbrella to discover, develop, and deliver new treatments for brain disorders including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer’s disease. For more information, visit brain.utah.edu.

About UCAIR

UCAIR is the research arm of the Department of Radiology at the University of Utah and was formed to provide infrastructure support for medical imaging research and the education of future imaging scientists from departments throughout the University campus and beyond.  UCAIR’s 25 Ph.D. and M.D. scientists (including university faculty and research associates) have developed strong, multifaceted research programs that span nearly all fields of Medical Imaging.  UCAIR, through open and efficient management of the MRI scanners, has contributed to the thriving economic environment that, together with USTAR’s support, has enabled this new opportunity to grow new research programs. For more information, visit http://www.ucair.med.utah.edu/.