# Fluid mechanics approach to tissue perfusion quantification in MRI

> **NIH NIH R01** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2024 · $648,049

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Our overall goal is to develop a fluid mechanics approach to studying tracer transport through tissue for
perfusion quantification in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is termed as quantitative transport
mapping (QTM). Current/traditional perfusion quantification in MRI and medical imaging in general is based on
Kety's method that assumes the same arterial input globally into all voxels in an imaging volume. This global
arterial input function (AIF) transgresses the local mass conservation at a voxel and requires the user to
choose an arterial region of interest (ROI) with the consequent perfusion value highly dependent on the ROI
choice, which is known as the AIF problem.
been
The AIF problem in Kety's method for perfusion quantification has
a major unmet challenge impeding perfusion quantification in MRI.The tracer concentration at the artery
entering the voxel is needed to address the AIF problem and can be estimated by following tracer transport
through the vascular space according to fluid mechanics, which is the proposed QTM. Accordingly, we propose
to develop QTM technology for MRI perfusion quantification, capable of processing all 3 major types of images:
dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) as in imaging ischemic stroke, multidelay arterial spin labeling (ASL) as
in imaging kidney transplant, and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) as in imaging breast tumor. We plan to
achieve this objective through the following three specific aims:
Aim
comprising
Aim
Simverse
tracer
Aim
processing
In
perfusion
1 Develop vascular Simverses For the brain, kidney and breast, we will develop vascular Simverse
datasets of vasculature, flow and permeability distribution, and tracer propagation.
2 Develop compartmentalized quantitative transport mapping. The datasets in the vascular
of an organ are used to train DNNs for QTM determination of vasculature, flow and permeability, and
propagation from tracer spacetime images.
3 Evaluate quantitative perfusion mapping in patients. The eveloped QTM is evaluated for
three major perfusion MRI acquisitions: DSC, multidelay ASL and DCE.
summary, the successful outcome of this project will establish the fluid mechanics based QTM for
quantification
.
d
as a more effective alternative to Kety's method with preservation of local mass
conservation and without the AIF problem.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10883736
- **Project number:** 5R01EB034755-02
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Yi Wang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $648,049
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10883736

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10883736, Fluid mechanics approach to tissue perfusion quantification in MRI (5R01EB034755-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10883736. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*