A device to estimate mechanical properties of brain and abdomen organs undergoing magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) includes electromagnetic actuators, mechanical wave generation mechanisms, and a control unit to generate oscillatory motion signals in synchronization with the MR scanner. Preserving only the shear wave component, a local fitting algorithm is used to estimate the viscoelastic properties of soft tissues. The device is portable and easy to implement in clinical diagnostics, and can be modified to measure other soft materials.

An acoustic driver system for use in applying an oscillating stress to a subject undergoing a magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) examination includes a flexible passive driver located in the bore of the magnet and in contact with the subject. A remotely located active driver is acoustically coupled to the passive driver and produces acoustic energy in response to an applied current. The passive driver produces shear waves in response to the acoustic energy and are directed into the body of the subject undergoing the MRE examination.

A system for MR Elastography of a sample, including ultrasound gel to sheath the sample, a vessel to accept the flow of the sample sheathed in ultrasound gel, a sensor array adapted to capture an ultrasound measurement and an MR measurement, wherein the sensor array including an ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver, and the sensor array is coupled to the vessel, and the vessel is capable of mechanical conductance between the ultrasound transducers, and the ultrasound gel, and a pump to create a pressure based flow of ultrasound fluid through the vessel and move the sample in proximity to the sensor array for capture of MR and ultrasound measurements of the sample as the sheathed sample passes by the sensor array.

A vibration generating system (100) for elastography equipment and a control method thereof, elastography equipment, a method for controlling the vibration generating system (100) for elastography equipment, a method for operating the elastography equipment, and a corresponding computer-readable medium. The vibration generating system (100) for elastography equipment comprises: a control unit (1), a pressure source (2), a pressure regulating unit (3), and a vibration transmitting unit (4). The pressure regulating unit (3) is in fluidic communication with the pressure source (2) and the vibration transmitting unit (4), respectively. The vibration transmitting unit (4) is used to transmit vibration according to a pressure acting thereon. The control unit (1) is coupled with the pressure regulating unit (3). The control unit (1) is configured to obtain a control parameter by using a look-up table module (12) according to inputted elastography conditions, so as to control the pressure regulating unit (3).

Described here are systems and methods for a robust magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) imaging platform for rapid dynamic 3D MRE imaging. The imaging platform includes an MRE pulse sequence and advanced image reconstruction framework that work synergistically in order to greatly expand the domains where MRE can be deployed successfully.

A coil pad according to one embodiment is a coil pad that is placed between a receiving coil and a subject. The receiving coil is mounted on the subject and receives a magnetic resonance signal emitted from the subject. The coil pad includes a pad opening and a vibrating portion. The pad opening is aligned with a coil opening included in the receiving coil and forms a through-hole between the coil opening and the subject. The vibrating portion vibrates with a medium that transmits vibration being filled therein.

Embodiments of the invention provide a magnetic resonance (MR) compatible transducer for magnetic resonance elastography applications having a cantilevered drive element (54) a free end of which is arranged in use to move reciprocally, and a flexible non-conductive connection rod (62) slidably disposed within a flexible non-conductive sleeve (60). The connection rod is affixed at a proximal end to the cantilevered drive element via a proximal flexible connection piece (64) that in use accommodates the slight rotational movement of the cantilevered drive element as it reciprocates about its secured end, whilst translating the rotational reciprocation of the cantilevered drive element into a pure translational reciprocation of the connection rod within the sleeve. The distal end of the connection rod is affixed against a protrusion connected to another cantilevered driven element (56), upon which is mounted a piston element (58) that in use contacts the subject. The distal end of the connection rod is provided with a distal flexible connection piece that forms the connection between the end of the connection rod and the cantilevered driven element, again to account for the pure translational movement of the rod being converted to rotational movement of the cantilevered driven element about its cantilever pivot point.

An apparatus (500, 600) comprising an ultrasound transducer element (300) for generating an ultrasonic beam (302) through a target zone (308, 538). The ultrasonic beam has an ultrasound frequency. The apparatus comprises a magnetic resonance system (502) with a resonant frequency modulator (542, 544, 516) for modulating a magnetic resonance frequency relative to a magnetic resonance of molecules in the target zone at the ultrasound frequency. Instructions cause a processor to repeatedly generate (100, 204) first gradient commands (562) which cause a magnetic field gradient coil to generate a first gradient magnetic field (710, 810) through the target zone. The gradient magnetic field has field lines directed in a first direction (304). The processor repeatedly modulates (102, 206) the magnetic resonance frequency at the ultrasound frequency, generates (104, 208) ultrasound commands (566), acquires (106, 210) magnetic resonance data from the target zone, and generates (108, 212) second gradient commands (564).

The invention disclosed herein provides methods for implementing Sampling Interval Modulation Magnetic Resonance Elastography (SLIM-MRE), based on simultaneous encoding and acquisition of individual displacement components using motion encoding gradients with different time discretization intervals to MRI analysis. The components are modulated with different frequencies in the MR signal phase, which can be expressed as a harmonic function of the start time, or equivalently of initial phase, of the motion encoding gradient components. As a result, all displacement components can be acquired faster than in conventional MRE, and can be derived from the same temporally-resolved MR phase images. This also allows for simultaneously acquired 3D displacement data and storage of such data in the same k-space.

Described herein is a technique and method for analyzing the protein binding affinity of a drug. The techniques and methods described herein leverage magnetic resonance techniques such as NMR and MRI to make relaxation measurements of an NMR detectable species. In some embodiments, a rubidium polarizer is used to magnetize .sup.129Xe, which is bubbled into a protein solution. The magnetic decay of the hyperpolarized .sup.129Xe is monitored by measuring the T1 or T2 of .sup.129Xe through NMR spectroscopy.