The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking to expand the preclinical use of MRI by studying the effects of various chemicals on a live rat's brain.
At the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), the goal is to prove that studying a live animal with a research-grade MRI scanner can be at least as accurate, if not more so, than studies performed using current research procedures. Led by Dr. Serguei Liachenko, PhD, director of the bioimaging program, NCTR is working in collaboration with the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to develop MRI biomarkers of neurotoxicity.
Currently, most researchers look for damaged tissue by sampling multiple pathology slices of the brain of a deceased rodent. This method can miss some damage, though, because the entire brain is not tested. With MRI, the entire brain can be scanned and 3D images produced, leaving no areas unexamined. MRI also allows researchers to test rodents more efficiently, repeatedly, and safely.
Using compounds that cause damage to the brain, the researchers can compare the performance of MRI to that of conventional methods to see if MRI detects the same damage. If the biomarkers prove reliable, pharmaceutical companies could potentially use MRI to assess brain damage, leading to safer drugs, Liachenko said in a statement.
