Feasibility of multiple-mouse dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Cancer Research
• Pharmacokinetics

Background:

• Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) is crucial for evaluating antiangiogenic therapies in preclinical cancer models.
• Current DCE-MRI studies in small animals are time-consuming and costly, hindering statistical power.
• The efficiency of multiple-mouse DCE-MRI, particularly with low molecular weight contrast agents, remains unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of multiple-mouse DCE-MRI for preclinical cancer studies.
• To assess if multiple-mouse DCE-MRI can maintain data accuracy compared to single-animal scans.
• To determine the potential for increased imaging efficiency in small animal cancer research.

Main Methods:

• Tumor-bearing mice were scanned using a 4.7T MRI scanner with both single-coil and multiple-mouse (four-animal) configurations.
• Two distinct four-element coil arrays were employed for multi-mouse imaging.
• Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated and statistically compared between single- and multiple-animal acquisition methods.

Main Results:

• Animal throughput was accelerated by nearly threefold with the four-animal imaging configurations.
• Quantitative pharmacokinetic data from multiple-mouse DCE-MRI were not significantly different from single-animal acquisitions.
• The use of low molecular weight, gadolinium-based contrast agents proved compatible with multi-mouse DCE-MRI.

Conclusions:

• Multiple-mouse DCE-MRI is a feasible and efficient method for preclinical cancer research.
• This approach significantly enhances throughput without sacrificing the integrity of quantitative pharmacokinetic data.
• Multi-mouse DCE-MRI offers a viable solution to reduce the time and cost associated with small animal cancer studies.