Direct MRI of Collagen

Motivation: Diseases in the musculoskeletal system are often characterized by a change in collagen structure and content. Such diseases are common and methods to evaluate collagen are integral in diagnosis and monitoring. Currently, indirect techniques are used for MRI of collagen due to its extremely short T2. Goal(s): To directly image collagen. Approach: Bone and tendon specimens, as well as an in-vivo hand, are imaged using advanced short-T2 techniques. The rapidly decaying signal is captured at different echo times, and image subtraction is used to isolate the signal of interest. Results: Direct collagen MRI was successfully performed with decent SNR and resolution. Impact: Direct MRI of collagen is reported with the potential for improved evaluation of the collagen structure and content with possible applications in diagnosis and monitoring of collagen-related diseases.