Three seminal articles published in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine mark a landmark achievement in preclinical imaging science. These works, authored by an international consortium of 58 scientists, including Vanderbilt University’s Kurt Schilling, Bennett Landman, Adam Anderson, and Kevin Harkins, offer comprehensive guidelines for using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) in preclinical research.
Preclinical dMRI, which uses the movement of water molecules to explore tissue microstructure and connectivity, has applications ranging from neuroscience to oncology. However, the complexity of designing, conducting, and interpreting these studies has posed challenges for consistency and translation to clinical practice.
This three-part series by the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Diffusion Study Group addresses these challenges, uniting decades of expertise to create a foundation for best practices. The recommendations, developed over years of global collaboration among researchers from six continents, working across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, mark a significant step forward in the reproducibility and utility of dMRI for advancing biomedical science.
“Diffusion MRI has the amazing potential to act as a non-invasive microscope of the human body, measuring crucial details about tissue–for example, mapping the connections of the human brain–with applications in neuroanatomy, systems neuroscience, neurology, neuro-evolution, pathology, or psychiatry,” said Schilling. “So, we knew an effort was needed to draw on the expertise of all of these communities to create ‘best practices’ when using these techniques.“
Schilling, who is the first author of parts two and three of the series, is an assistant professor of radiology and radiological sciences and research assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. He earned a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt. Landman is director of the Vanderbilt Lab for Immersive AI Translation (VALIANT) and holds the Stevenson Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Anderson is a professor of biomedical engineering and radiology and radiological sciences. Harkins is a research assistant professor of biomedical engineering and radiology and radiological sciences.
The articles address key challenges such as standardizing data collection, improving data processing techniques, and fostering open science. Each paper includes practical resources, such as publicly available datasets, software tools, and step-by-step workflows.
“We envision this work to be useful to imaging centers using small animal scanners for research, sites that may not have personnel with expert knowledge in diffusion, pharmaceutical or industry employees who may want to run their own tests and studies, or new trainees in the field of dMRI,” Schilling said. “This will ultimately enhance the rigor and reproducibility of these types of studies, which will advance biomedical knowledge in all areas of health and disease.”
“Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center played pivotal roles in this effort and exemplify Vanderbilt’s leadership in interdisciplinary collaboration and its impact on global science,” said Landman. “We hope they will inspire the next generation of researchers to push the boundaries of what is possible.”
Contact: brenda.ellis@vanderbilt.edu