Dr. Tobias Leutritz | Transferring multi-parameter mapping into a clinical trial - advancements and challenges

Embedded in an EU supported clinical trial (NISCI), we provide technical legwork concerning the setup of MRI sequences, quality assurence and data processing. The NISCI study concentrates on the treatment of spinalcord injury. Performing brain imaging within that context is supposed toserve as a new biomarker for de- and regeneration. The quantitative MRI technique of multi-parameter mapping will be the main draught horse. The application in clinical contexts requires some modifications. The most important differences to the research routine are (I) the use of vendor sequences instead of custom made ones and (II) the reduction of scanning time and resolution. To evaluate the protocol setup for consistency between and within sites (test-retest) we performed a traveling heads study with healthy subjects at four clinical sites. For processing the data we used the newly published hMRI-toolbox for quantitative MRI data (formerly VBQ-toolbox), which was further developed during the last year. In addition quality assurance scripts were designed to gain access to basic measures from specific brain regions within the processed quantitative maps. Also a promising solution for correcting susceptibility distortions from bipolar readout without the need of additional measurements (e.g. a fieldmap) will be presented.