Cardiac microstructure beyond diffusion tensor imaging
The heart is made up of cardiac muscle and connective tissue. The way the different types of cells in the heart are arranged and joined together is important. An electrical current must be able to pass smoothly between them, and stimulate a strong and synchronised ‘squeezing’ of the connected heart muscle cells with each heartbeat. When size, arrangement and connections of heart cells change in heart failure, it leaves people at risk of dangerous heart rhythms and poor blood circulation. An imaging technology called diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (DMRI) is the current best non-invasive way for doctors to ‘see’ the cells of the heart in their patients. DMRI can measure how water molecules in the cells of the heart move about to build up a picture of the overall cell size and shape. However, it is far from perfect and imaging experts in Oxford are determined to improve the technology to provide a more detailed picture of the heart. They have begun development of a new way to better reveal the size, volume and arrangement of heart cells using DMRI. They’ve had promising results and this funding will enable them to take the next step forward. In this project they will optimise their system and test it out at a small scale by scanning mouse hearts. The technology may eventually provide detailed maps of the size and volume of heart cells in patients, aiding diagnosis and treatment of conditions including heart failure.
Project details
| Grant amount | £201,964 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 October 2018 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | PG/17/28/32943 |
| Status | In Progress |
