# Myocardial Tissue Characterization with MR Relaxometry in Heart Failure

> **NIH NIH R01** · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $853,155

## Abstract

Project Summary
Heart failure (HF) has emerged as the greatest current challenge in cardiovascular medicine.
Detection of subclinical cardiac dysfunction could give us a unique opportunity to treat patients at an
earlier stage of disease and to modify the risk factors to prevent or slow HF development and
progression. In HF with dilated non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM), early changes in extracellular
matrix volume (ECV) and formation of myocardial fibrosis and inflammation result in impairment of
ventricle function and precipitation of arrhythmias. Therefore, early detection of these changes could
have significant clinical impact. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a non-invasive,
multifaceted, powerful imaging modality that employs no ionization radiation, has high spatial
resolution and provides excellent soft tissue contrast. Myocardial T1 and T2 relaxation times change in
the presence of interstitial diffuse fibrosis and inflammation. A major limitation of current CMR
technique is use of semi-quantitative and subjective assessment of disease status. Novel advances in
CMR allow voxel-wise quantification of relaxation times to characterize myocardial tissue
composition, analogous to myocardial regional biopsy, as a unique and powerful tool which is
unparalleled by any other imaging modality. We have recently developed novel approaches to
accurately measure in-vivo myocardial T1 and T2 times. In this study, we propose to continue
development, refinement and multi-center/multi-vendor evaluation of our multi-slice T1 and T2
mapping sequences. Concurrently, in a pilot clinical study, we will assess the predictive value of T1,
T2 and ECV in patients with newly recognized dilated NICM for HF progression and adverse cardiac
events over a 2-year clinical follow up. We will also assess incremental value of CMR vs. non-CMR
markers of HF progression and adverse cardiac events.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9975018
- **Project number:** 5R01HL129157-04
- **Recipient organization:** BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Reza Nezafat
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $853,155
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-05-15 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9975018

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9975018, Myocardial Tissue Characterization with MR Relaxometry in Heart Failure (5R01HL129157-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9975018. Licensed CC0.

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