Title: Rapid, Silent Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Infant Lung Disease Assessment
Funder: The Academy of Medical Sciences

Abstract: There is an unmet medical need for robust, safe methods for imaging the lung structure and function in infants; pulmonary function tests suffer from high variability and are near-impossible to perform reliably in infants, and computed tomography (CT) imaging is sparingly used in infants due to ionising radiation dosage concerns. As a result, our understanding of lung diseases in this age group remains poor. I hypothesise that novel 1H magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods for structural and functional imaging of the lungs can be optimised to enable safe, rapid, silent imaging during free-breathing in infants, and that these techniques will be realisable on whole-body MRI scanners, such that the technology is scalable within the NHS. The overall aim of this work is therefore to develop and optimise MRI methodologies to enable the assessment of lung structure and function in infants with cardio-pulmonary diseases on whole-body MRI scanners. Specific objectives are as follows: (i) Structural and functional lung MRI acquisition technique development, including optimisation of 4D (3D isotropic spatial + 1D temporal) silent, free-breathing acquisition techniques for infants, and development of motion-sensitive image reconstruction methods. (ii) Development of a high-sensitivity, light-weight radiofrequency (RF) coil for MR signal detection, bespoke for infant chest MRI. (iii) Clinical application of developed technologies in healthy term-born infants, and pre-term born infants with and without chronic lung disease of prematurity. The sensitivity of developed methods will be assessed in relation to clinical disease severity and clinical CT where available.

Lay abstract: Testing how well the lung functions usually involves the use of breathing tests. However, these tests are very difficult to do accurately in newborn babies and infants. In addition, they only provide information about how well the lungs are working as a whole, rather than how well different regions are working. Therefore, we need imaging techniques that can help identify areas of the lungs that are working well, and those that are not. In adults, x-ray and CT imaging are often used to study the lungs. However, these methods pose a harmful radiation risk, especially in newborns and infants. As a result, our knowledge of newborn and infant diseases of the lungs is collectively poor compared to that of adolescents and adults. In particular, respiratory problems in babies born pre-term are a major cause of death, yet still poorly understood. Our research group at the University of Sheffield are a leading institution in developing technologies for imaging the lungs using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is safe and does not involve harmful radiation. In this research project, I will develop new methods and technology for MRI of the lungs in infants, focusing on three key aspects; -Speed; keeping the infant’s time in the MRI scanner to a minimum. -Noise; developing silent MRI methods to increase patient comfort and allow scanning during sleep. -Information; providing images that will help doctors understand infant lung disease better, and in the long-term, benefit the patient, and the NHS.

Research activity codes: 2.5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES (AETIOLOGY);4.1 DISCOVERY AND PRECLINICAL TESTING OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES
Health categories: RESPIRATORY