Transcript The Importance of Translational Research in Medical

The Importance of Translational
Research in Medical Imaging
Beau Pontré
Lecturer
Medical Imaging Discipline
School of Medical Sciences
NZIMRT Conference, Invercargill
16th August 2014
What is Research?
What is Research?
What is Research?
“Eureka” moments are quite rare
Most research is incremental in nature
Translational research aims to make findings from basic
science useful for practical applications
?
Translational Research
The bridge between basic and applied science
- Many steps
- Time-consuming
- Often incremental
- Multi-disciplinary
Translational Research
Drug development
Computers
Images!
Translational Research in Medical Imaging
Most protocols used in medical imaging today are a direct
result of translational research
Scanning equipment is updated incrementally
Two Examples…
Using MRI facilities at the University of Auckland
People from physiology, audiology, engineering, optometry,
computer science, medical imaging, physics
1. Cochlea
2. Eye
Our facilities
4.7T pre-clinical MRI
3T clinical MRI
Example One - Cochlea
MRI performed on the cochlea in guinea pigs
Axial turn
Medial turn
Basal turn
Le Floc’h, J. et al. (2014) JMRI 39:150-161
T2-weighted MRI following injection of USPIO contrast agent
- Taken up by macrophages
- Reduced signal on T2-weighted images
Baseline
Control
Inflamed
Day 2
Baseline
Normal
Inflamed
Le Floc’h, J. et al. (2014) JMRI 39:150-161
Day 2
Pre Contrast
Normal
Inflamed
Le Floc’h, J. et al. (2014) JMRI 39:150-161
15min
60min
Le Floc’h,
al. (2014)
JMRI
39:150-161
Le Floc’h,
J. et J.
al.et
(2013)
JMRI (in
press)
Day 4
Day 7
p<0.0001
Le Floc’h, J. et al. (2014) JMRI 39:150-161
Day 10
The next step…
Ménière’s Disease
- Inner ear disorder affecting hearing and balance
- Thought to be caused by disturbances to inner ear fluids
- Mechanism is largely unknown
Normal volunteer scans
- Develop and refine protocol
Ménière’s patients
- Assess BLB permeability
- First in patient in September
The next step…
Challenges
- Human vs animal tissues
- Motion
-…
A better understanding of the mechanisms behind Ménière’s
disease could lead to better treatment options
Example Two - The eye
MRI performed on bovine eyes and isolated bovine lenses
T1-wt scan
3D Model
T1 map (lens)
Lens placed in D2O and scanned at different times
10 min
Disrupted
30 min
Normal
20 min
40 min
240 min
Vaghefi, E. et al. (2011) Am J Physiol Regul
Integr Comp Physiol 301:R335-R342
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
Vaghefi, E. et al. (2009) Physiol Meas 30:1061-1073
T2 and refractive index maps of the lens
Control
High-K+
Ouabain
25
T2 (ms)
0
Control
High-K+
Ouabain
1.45
Refractive
index
1.35
Control
High-K+
Ouabain
1.45
Refractive
index
1.35
- Disruptions to microcirculation affect visual acuity
- Myopic shift is a strong predictor for cataracts
Original
The next step…
Need a technique for performing reliable MRI scans on the
human eye in vivo
Currently testing similar techniques (DTI) in the retina to
assess macular degeneration
Challenges
- resolution
- scan duration
- motion
Summary
Translational research is the bridge between basic and
applied science
Requires a lot of patience and people from many disciplines
Future everyday protocols in medical imaging may result
from translational research being done right now!
Science is like being in a dark room and looking for a
black cat using a flashlight
Acknowledgements
Cochlea Study
Johann Le Floc’h
Jerome Plumat
Peter Thorne
Ravindra Telang
Lens Study
Ehsan Vaghefi
Marc Jacobs
Paul Donaldson