Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an important non-invasive instrument for in-vivo studies of organ metabolism and pharmacology. In particular, 3 IP NMR experiments have demonstrated, in both preclinical and clinical studies, that NMR will be a useful tool in cardiovascular, oncologic and neurological research and therapy.

The proposed facility is a new one and will initially build upon the existing strengths of the new faculty members at the University of Chicago, Drs. Lipton, Holt and Karczmar.

The cardiac project of Drs. Holt, Lipton and Hay is the first of a number of expected investigations building upon previous MRS studies. Future projects will extend work in: 1) elucidation of stunned/hibernating myocardium mechanisms, 2) development/evaluation of myocardial contrast agents, 3) evaluation of indices of reversible/irreversible tissue injury, 4) pharmacologic interventions in ischemic disease and 5) analysis of relationships between ventricular geometry and tissue metabolism. It is expected that some of these studies will help develop clinical, patient-oriented applications.

The University of Chicago will provide an environment in which a large number of internationally recognized oncologists will have ready access to state-of-the-art MR equipment. The projects of Dr. Weichselbaum, Dr. Grdina and Dr. Vijayakumar, in collaboration with Dr. Karczmar, represent the initial efforts in this area. Dr. Weichselbaum, Dr. Karczmar and Dr. Vijayakumar will use MR spectroscopy and imaging to assess changes in tumor perfusion and metabolism in response to Tumor Necrosis Factor. Dr. Grdina will use MR to identify hypoxic regions within tumors and correlate these data with in vitro measurements of hypoxic cell fraction. Dr. Vijayakumar will use MR spectroscopy to study effects of chemotherapy on cultured cells which are perfused in the magnet. These projects will initiate continuing collaborations which will develop and evaluate clinical applications of MR.

The application of this facility to the investigation of additional fields of interest will be fostered. Drs. Kraig and Holt will initiate a regional/cellular brain pH study. Drs. Broelsch and Ehrenfeld will extend existing investigations of problems associated with hepatic transplantation. Dr. Lynn will extend existing work in plants concerned with fundamental mechanisms of biological recognition.

Housed within Radiology, the facility will function as a resource for the University and, to an extent, for the region. Currently involved medical departments include cardiology, neurology, radiology, radiation-oncology, pathology and surgery; in addition to medical departments, the Department of Chemistry and Argonne National Laboratory are involved;in addition to the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois is involved.

S10RR005887

1990-07-11

1993-07-10