Quantitative MR-based imaging of physical biomarkers

Short Name: QUIERO, Project Number: 18HLT05

Assessing new MRI technologies using quantitative methods for more accurate clinical diagnoses

Image of a patient undergoing an MRI scan

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a commonly used medical scanning technique; more than 30 million scans are performed per year in EURAMET countries. Standard MRI scans are typically qualitative, requiring visual inspection to identify diseased tissue. Variation in subjective interpretations of images means diagnostic accuracy could be improved using quantitative analysis. MRI imaging techniques Electric Properties Tomography (EPT) and Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF), for instances, could herald a ‘quantitative revolution’ in MRI. However, these technologies require validation before use in clinical diagnosis.

 

This project has evaluated emerging and complementary EPT and MR techniques, to develop quantitative MRI analysis for more accurate disease diagnostics. Algorithms for analysing EPT and MRF output signals have been developed and improved, with performance validated using fully characterised, SI-traceable, ‘phantom’ reference artefacts and monitored components. Diagnosis of high impact clinical conditions with these new techniques (such as cerebrovascular diseases) will be assessed, and results disseminated to end-users such as MRI manufacturers and the medical community.

 

Evaluation and Correction of B+1-Based Brain Subject-Specific SAR Maps Using Electrical Properties Tomography
2023

IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology

Pilot tone-based prospective correction of respiratory motion for free-breathing myocardial T1 mapping
2022

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine

Uncertainty propagation in phaseless electric properties tomography
2019

2019 International Conference on Electromagnetics in Advanced Applications (ICEAA)

Participating EURAMET NMIs and DIs

IMBiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

INRIM (Italy)

LGC (United Kingdom)

LNE (France)

PTB (Germany)

UME (Türkiye)

Other Participants

Charite - Universitaetsmedizin Berlin (Germany)
Fondazione Stella Maris (Italy)
Technische Universität Dresden (Germany)
Università degli Studi di Torino (Italy)
Univerza v Ljubljani (Slovenia)

Information

Programme
EMPIR
Field
Health
Status
completed
Call
2018
Duration
2019-2022
Project website