# Research-Dedicated Magnetic Resonance Imaging at McGuire VA Medical Center > **NIH VA IS1** · VA VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL · 2021 · — ## Abstract PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Advances in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have become astonishing in the medical field, allowing the assessment of structural and tissue characterization of many organs and functional features of some. Thus, MRI has become a critical tool for clinical and research use in multiple disciplines including neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, oncology, pain management, rehabilitation, and cardiology to mention few. The limited availability of the current MRI scanners for research at the McGuire VAMC frequently results in outsourcing MRI scans to other institutions and further IRB approval for researchers, besides limiting patient enrollment and adding wait times, logistical and travel burden to our Veterans participating in research. Furthermore, the lack of an MRI scanner limits collaborations with other institutions and clinical research consortiums in multiple areas including traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), PTSD, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, liver and cardiac disease. We request the funds to acquire a 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (3T-MRI) designed to provide versatility to meet the increasing demands in clinical research. Its current features offer a comprehensive application portfolio with unique functions, as well as a short and open appearance to reduce patient anxiety and claustrophobia. The equipment will have multiple advanced clinical and scientific suites for research applications in multiple disciplines such as tissue characterization, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) and functional MRI (fMRI). The requested 3T-MRI will provide accessibility of all required MRI features to all our 9 major and 6 minor users. This will allow Drs. Fuchs and Pandak to perform required magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and liver fat content; Drs. Hundley and Huizar to complete and expand their studies in heart failure and cardiomyopathy associated with ectopic beats, myocardial injury in COVID-19, cardiotoxicity, and MRI exercise testing after chemotherapy; Dr Walker (LIMIBIC consortium) and Dr. McDonald (MIRECC and ENIGMA-PTSD consortium) to perform advanced MRI with DTI and fMRI to study TBI and PTSD; Dr. Gorgey to assess body composition, adaptation of tracts to trans-spinal / epidural stimulation and exercise using DTI in SCI patients; Dr. Bjork to study mental health, depression, and substance abuse with fMRI; and Dr. Gitchel to expand his current efforts with Parkinson’s disease research (PADRECC). The McGuire VAMC has a tradition for excellence in clinical care as a tertiary referral center with 3 current state-of-the-art scanners, primarily for clinical use. Thus, the infrastructure and expertise to install, maintain and sustain the 3T MRI scanner are in place. Similarly, the McGuire VAMC has had a long tradition of basic and clinical research funding for at least 30 years supporting multiple research protocols and investigators. This application is fully sup... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10177717 - **Project number:** 1IS1BX005511-01 - **Recipient organization:** VA VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL - **Principal Investigator:** Jose Francisco Huizar - **Activity code:** IS1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** VA - **Fiscal year:** 2021 - **Award amount:** — - **Award type:** 1 - **Project period:** 2020-10-01 → 2021-09-30 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10177717 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10177717, Research-Dedicated Magnetic Resonance Imaging at McGuire VA Medical Center (1IS1BX005511-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10177717. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*