Title : Protein-based amide proton transfer MRI: Neurological applications and standardization
Abstract:
Amide proton transfer (APT) imaging is a novel molecular MRI technique that generates image contrast based on endogenous cellular proteins in tissue. APT imaging is a specific type of chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging. Theoretically, the APT-MRI signal depends primarily on the mobile amide proton concentration and amide proton exchange rates (which are related to tissue pH). The APT technique has been successfully used for non-invasive pH imaging in stroke (where pH drops) and protein content imaging in tumor (where many proteins are overexpressed). In this talk, I will first talk about the basic principle of APT imaging at the protein level and review its current successful applications for the imaging of brain tumors, including the detection and grading of tumors, the assessment of treatment effect versus tumor recurrence, and the identification of genetic markers. Other clinical application examples, including imaging of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury, will be briefly reviewed. Finally, I will introduce the challenging issues and the recent consensus recommendations for APTw imaging of brain tumors on 3T MRI systems.
