Abstract #0141

Molecular Imaging of High-Grade Brain Tumors Using Endogenous Protein and Peptide-Based Contrast

Zhibo Wen¹, Shuguang Hu², Fanheng Huang¹, Peter C.M. van Zijl^3,4, Jinyuan Zhou^3,4

¹Department of Radiology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; ²Philips Healthcare, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; ³Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; ⁴F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

Amide proton transfer (APT)-MRI is a chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) based approach in which the amide protons of endogenous proteins and peptides are irradiated to accomplish detection using the water signal. In this abstract, the APT approach was added to standard brain MRI for tumor patients at 3T. The initial results (n = 4) show that APT imaging can enhance noninvasive identification of tissue heterogeneity in high grade brain tumors.