# Multi-Contrast Chest Radiography (MC-CXR) for COVID-19 Diagnosis and Screening

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2020 · $404,441

## Abstract

Abstract
As of 4/30/2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than one million people and
caused 60,057 deaths in the United States. Neither the clinical symptoms nor the radiological features of COVID-
19 are specific to the disease, resulting in significant challenges to the screening and early diagnosis of this
highly infectious disease. The current gold standard method for COVID-19 diagnosis, the reverse transcriptase
polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, has a relatively long turnaround time. Chest x-ray radiography (CXR)
has been widely used in the United States for COVID-19 assessment since the first case reported in the US.
However, the major challenge with the use of CXR is its low sensitivity and specificity to COVID-19, which is
largely attributed to the lack of x-ray absorption contrast sensitivity to mild alveolar damages in the early phases
of COVID-19. In this Emergency Competitive Revision, we offer a quick response to the imperative clinical need
to improve the diagnostic accuracy of CXR to COVID-19 by leveraging the multi-contrast x-ray imaging
technology developed in our ongoing R01 project (EB020521). In particular, the x-ray dark field contrast
mechanism is orders of magnitude more sensitive to partial fillings or collapses of alveoli and thus is expected
to offer a significant boost to CXR’s sensitivity to alveolar damage. We will quickly construct a multi-contrast
chest x-ray radiography (MC-CXR) system, characterize its physical performance, evaluate its radiation safety,
and optimize its scan protocols. Finally, we will conduct a pilot human subject study to collect initial evidence for
its clinical value in diagnosing COVID-19. Considering the high likelihood for a second wave of COVID-19, the
availability of the proposed MC-CXR system can facilitate the hospital systems to cope with additional rounds of
patient surge by providing rapid “entrance” assessment of COVID-19.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10160566
- **Project number:** 3R01EB020521-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Guang-Hong Chen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $404,441
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-07-08 → 2021-07-07

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10160566

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10160566, Multi-Contrast Chest Radiography (MC-CXR) for COVID-19 Diagnosis and Screening (3R01EB020521-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10160566. Licensed CC0.

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