Multi-slice myelin water imaging (SJ-12-0009)

St. Jude Reference #SJ-12-0009

Description

A promising new noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that was published as Guo, J. et al., “Multi-Slice Myelin Water Imaging for Practical Clinical Applications at 3.0 T”, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (online pub. Nov. 6, 2012). This new method generates remarkable high quality myelin water fraction images. The myelin water fraction can serve as a direct indicator of myelin sheath integrity and can provide quantitative measurements of myelin structure and component change due to white matter disease. This new method also generates some useful byproducts such as tissue water fraction and long T2 tissue water fraction images, which can quantify lesions in different brain diseases. The clinical applications of this method may include identifying white matter lesions, assessing demyelinating diseases (e.g., Multiple Sclerosis, Leukoencephalopathies, Transverse myelitis, Optic neuritis, and Copper deficiency), monitoring myelination in early childhood, and detecting cancerous lesions.

Keywords

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), water, myelin, white matter disease, demyelinating diseases (Multiple Sclerosis, Leukoencephalopathies, Transverse myelitis, Optic neuritis, and Copper deficiency), cancerous lesions

Granted patents or published applications

2 Issued US Patents, 9,378,548; 9,953,418

Related scientific references

Licensing opportunities

We are currently seeking licensing opportunities for the development of this technology. Contact: chad.riggs@stjude.org

Contact the Office of Technology Licensing (Phone: 901-595-2342, Fax: 901-595-3148) for more information.