DISC Laboratory, Dept. of Radiology

Description

The University of Washington Magnetic Resonance Research Laboratory has been providing access to state-of-the-art MR systems and technical expertise for more than a decade to scientists throughout the UW campus and has on-going research collaborations with many other scientific centers throughout the world. It serves as a major site for medical research, for the development of new technology, and for teaching. The laboratory is comprised of more than 25 research personnel that include physicists, physicians, biochemists, bioengineers, research technicians, and senior research fellows. In addition, it supports projects with affiliate researchers from more than 15 departments across the university campus including the departments of bioengineering, education, music, neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, psychology, rehabilitation medicine, and speech and hearing sciences. The laboratory continues to extend collaboration and support to aid in research throughout the UW Medicine community and throughout the world in order to increase scientific understanding and to promote the quality of health care. The RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS page highlights but a few of the more than 100 on-going projects currently supported in the MR Research Laboratory.

The MR laboratory is now equiped with a more powerful 3T MR systems. A new Integrated Brain Imaging Research Center (IBIC) is being created to centralize efforts in multidisciplinary neuroscience research. Interest in MR-based molecular imaging research is also growing as novel methods for imaging disease and for assessing response to experimental therapies are devised. These are but a few of the many research applications of MR that are currently being pursued in the laboratory. In all, the future of MR technology is very bright. It promises to contribute revolutionary advances in medical science areas as yet unimagined. The University of Washington Magnetic Resonance Research Laboratory will continue to contribute to this forward progress.

 

 

 

 
Category of resources
  • Cell and /or tissue analysis (histology, pathology, cell sorting, cytometry, microscale imaging)
  • Microscopy (light, electron, fluorescent, etc.)
  • Imaging (‘macro’ scale- small animal, human)
Services provided
  • Consultations (i.e. study design, experiment design)
  • Other
Specialty equipment/services

Magnetic Resonance (MR) overcomes the limitations of imaging methods such as CT and x-ray imaging that are based solely on the measurement of attenuation of x-rays as they pass through tissues, which only provide gray scale structural images of the body. MRI has multidimensional capabilities that are ever expanding. For example, in addition to providing gray scale anatomic images, MRI allows scientists to

  • Quantitatively measure the speed of blood flowing through an artery,
  • Observe the rate and direction of diffusion of water molecules through brain tissue,
  • Measure the concentration of tissue metabolites in vivo,
  • Monitor brain function during the performance of a specific task.

These exciting new methods are allowing scientists to non-invasively probe the inner workings of the human body in more detail than was ever possible before. Moreover, the potential for future growth in the capabilities of MRI and the beneficial effects on science and medicine is seemingly endless.

 
Web address(es) DISC Laboratory, Dept. of Radiology
Location Washington - University of Washington -Main Campus
UWMC RR basement
Manager or contact Must be verified
Users who may access
  • Other
This listing was last modified on March 17, 2010.

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