# Improved Whole-Brain Spectroscopic MRI for Radiation Treatment Planning

> **NIH NIH U01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $775,037

## Abstract

Identifying the extent of glioma tumor margins for radiation treatment planning remains a challenging task due
to the infiltrative nature of these tumors and limitations in current standard imaging methods. Multiple studies
including our own have demonstrated that MR spectroscopic imaging, or spectroscopic MRI (sMRI), can detect
areas of infiltrating tumor with a high degree of sensitivity, and could be an essential tool in treating areas that
lead to early recurrence. sMRI enables the identification of infiltrating cells that are marked by increased
Choline/N-Acetylaspartate ratios, including regions that are not detectable by standard MRI and normally left
untreated. Therefore, sMRI shows considerable promise for improving the efficacy of radiation treatment and
significantly delay recurrence. However, technological improvements are needed before sMRI can be broadly
adopted for clinical use. This study will achieve this goal by leveraging diverse areas of expertise at four
research sites to engineer and validate technological improvements needed to improve sMRI acquisition,
analysis, and clinical integration. These improvements will include new magnet shimming technology to
increase the spatial coverage of sMRI to whole-brain volumes; updated rapid and motion-robust sMRI method
that incorporates compressed sensing to both increase spatial resolution and decrease acquisition times; and
new processing, display, and analysis methods that will present metabolite maps in an efficient manner with a
clinician-friendly web-based interface that enables integration with radiation treatment planning software
systems. The value and efficacy of the technological developments will be validated in a clinical study at the
participating sites that will incorporate sMRI into RT planning for glioblastoma, using an escalated dose for
regions of significantly increased Cho/NAA. The completion of this study will provide robust sMRI acquisition
methods and software tools that will be suitable for clinical use.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9981743
- **Project number:** 5U01EB028145-03
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lee Cooper
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $775,037
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-22 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9981743

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9981743, Improved Whole-Brain Spectroscopic MRI for Radiation Treatment Planning (5U01EB028145-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-14 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9981743. Licensed CC0.

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