New research into methods for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the kidney is going to be presented at the upcoming International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and International Society for MR Radiographers & Technologists (ISMRT) Annual Meeting and Exhibition, which takes place from 9-14 May in Cape Town, South Africa.
There is an unmet need for kidney biomarkers that can improve prediction of renal decline, especially in early stages of disease. MRI biomarkers have great potential to non-invasively assess changes in the kidney. In order to have confidence that detected changes are reflective of disease progression or treatment effects, we need to have evidence supporting a method’s precision and repeatability.
Two abstracts come from research that has been done as part of the iBEAt study of the Biomarker Enterprise to Attack Diabetic Kidney Disease (BEAt-DKD) Project. The iBEAt study is a prospective, multi-centre, observational cohort study of patients with early stages of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) to evaluate the utility of imaging biomarkers. The first describes the results from the development and validation of a semi-automated method for quantifying renal sinus fat (RSF), which has been shown to be associated with disease progression in DKD. The other reports on the repeatability of deep learning-enabled MRI-derived measurements of kidney shape and size features.
A third abstract describes the effect of a breath-hold on renal BOLD MRI scans. BOLD is a MRI contrast capable of detecting changes in blood oxygenation, making it a potential marker of renal hypoxia and an early indicator of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Breath-holding is a technique that is used to reduce respiratory motion, but its effect on BOLD MRI is important to consider when designing trial protocols.
Details for the 3 abstracts are below.
Abstract title: Semi-automated 3D segmentation of renal sinus fat
Authors: Savescu I, Periquito J, Soe K, Grenier N, Sharma K, Selvarajah D, Gilchrist M, Gomez M, Gooding K, Shore A, Sourbron S
Digital poster in Session 660-02 Water-Fat MRI, Thursday 14 May 9:25-10:20am
Abstract title: Repeatability of single-kidney parenchymal shape and size in healthy volunteers
Authors: Periquito J, Saunavaara V, Sharma K, Soe K, Thomas A, Alhummuany B, Fulford J, Shelley D, Shore A, Grenier N, Gesualdo L, Pontrelli P, Conserva F, Koivuviita N, Gomez M, Gooding K, Sourbron S
Digital poster in Session 366-05 Quantitative Applications in Body MRI: Make the Numbers Count, Monday 11 May 16:10-17:05
Abstract title: What is the effect of a breath-hold on renal BOLD MRI scans?
Authors: Griffith A, Shalom E, Sharma K, Soe K, Chan H-F, Collier GJ, Stewart NJ, Sourbron S, Periquito J
Oral presentation in Session 402-02 Inside the Bean: Advances in Renal MRI, Tuesday 12 May at 9:26am
You can access the Program at a Glance for this year’s congress here.
This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 115974 (BEAt-DKD). The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA and JDRF.
Link to IMI website: https://www.imi.europa.eu/
Link to BEAt DKD website: https://www.beat-dkd.eu/project/
Link to IMI Project Factsheet: https://www.imi.europa.eu/projects-results/project-factsheets/beat-dkd