Development of Novel MR Techniques Using Volunteer Participants

Using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging or spectroscopy as part of clinical research typically involves developing new MR protocols. Although some of this work is done by scanning artificial 'phantoms', volunteer studies are normally needed to configure and validate new protocols appropriately. Developing new MR protocols and techniques is also useful in its own right. The volunteer scanning described in this application will provide data to support this type of methodological research into new scanning and image processing techniques: improving the speed, quality, and range of measurements possible with the scanner. With proper safety and screening procedures, MR has no known side-effects, and has been performed on millions of human subjects worldwide without ill effect. There are well-established contraindications for MRI, and screening procedures are already in place in the MR unit at UCLH to exclude such subjects and ensure the safety of subjects. With these, and the MR scanner's built in safety mechanisms, residual risk is low. Many other trusts with active MR research have previously made similar applications to this related to volunteer MR scanning for pilot work and methodological research Although scans may obtained as part of several research projects, in each case it is only the scanning technique (the programmed sequence of data acquisition and processing steps) which will vary, along with the body region to be imaged. The volunteer experience will be very similar, and all ethical issues, including the information sheet and consent form, will be identical. These scans are for methodological research on the MR techniques themselves, and will be never form part of the volunteer's own healthcare. Separate ethical permission is sought for any study which does not match the above criteria.