TITLE:

The promise of MRI for tracking cystic fibrosis

DATE:

Friday, August. 23rd, 2013

TIME:

3:30 PM

LOCATION:

GMCS 214

SPEAKER:

Rebecca Theilmann. UCSD Medical Center

ABSTRACT:

The long-term objective of this research is to utilize

quantitative proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor

response to therapy in adults with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF is an

inherited disease associated with a severely impaired mucociliary

clearance that leads to chronic polymicrobial airway biofilm

infection, inflammation, airway remodeling and eventually respiratory

failure in almost 80% of patients. CF patients are followed

clinically, radiographically, with lung function studies, and

microbial cultures. Currently, imaging assessment of airways in

patients with CF largely relies on images from CT, which are helpful

in assessing response to therapy but are severely limited because of

the need for repeated measures and limitations of ionizing radiation

dose. Even though structural MRI has been explored as a surrogate for

CT, both CT and MRI are semi-quantitative and only evaluate the static

nature of the lung. Thus, there is a critical need for new approaches

[or biomarkers] to better capture abnormalities that will assess

progression of disease and efficacy of specific therapies. A fast

gradient echo MRI pulse sequence has been developed at UCSD that

quantitatively measures lung water density and T2* (the rate of signal

decay). Preliminary measurements using this imaging sequence will be

presented in both controls and adults with Cystic Fibrosis.

HOST:

Dr. Peter Salamon.

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