# Advancing MRI with an open inhomogeneous B0 magnet

> **NIH NIH R01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $571,562

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The aim of this proposal is to enhance the technical development of an open MRI system that can be
integrated into an exam table in a doctor's office, allowing MRI scans to be used similarly to ultrasound. This
open-low-field MRI is silent and can produce high-quality images of any organ with the patient lying flat on the
examination bed or standing for weighted spine or limb imaging with the device wall-mounted. Developing a
small-footprint compact and low-cost MRI system allows MRI to be moved from hospitals to doctors' offices,
with the impact that MRI could become more accessible to a wider population.
This proposal combines developments in MR imaging with non-linear gradients, field-cycling MRI, spatial
encoding using RF, and non-Fourier based algebraic reconstruction techniques incorporating parallel imaging.
The objective is to enhance the image quality through innovative developments in both spatial encoding and
pulse sequences. The preliminary data indicates strong signal, prolonged T2s, and exceptional image quality.
Aims 1 and 2 integrate and optimize new encoding developments through novel RF coil designs, stop-motion
imaging, and the introduction of gradient encoding to the system. The goal of these studies is to optimize
resolution across the targeted volume (24x24x20cm). The proposal also introduces new pulse sequences with
an emphasis on fat/water separation and quantification. Aim 3 tests three forms of fat-water contrast
manipulation and gathers preliminary data on the effectiveness of this device for assessing fatty liver disease
in both lean and obese subjects.
Together, these aims will establish the imaging capabilities of the device, which would be a significant step
forward on the path to improved accessibility. This proposal is innovative as it combines several proven
technologies in novel ways to develop a new class of low-cost MRI devices that operate in inhomogeneous B0
fields.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10795461
- **Project number:** 1R01EB035268-01
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** R Todd Constable
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $571,562
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10795461

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10795461, Advancing MRI with an open inhomogeneous B0 magnet (1R01EB035268-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10795461. Licensed CC0.

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