Diffusion MRI of organoids at 28.2T with 3T/m gradient strength

Motivation: Organoids are a promising alternative to current human and animal imaging platforms for validating and designing quantitative MRI measurements. Goal(s): To develop diffusion MRI (dMRI) on living organoids at ultra-high field (28.2T). Approach: A variety of diffusion measures were evaluated in cortical organoids using high-resolution dMRI at 28.2T, such as ADC, kurtosis, diffusion time-dependence and diffusion anisotropy. Longitudinal stability of organoids was evaluated. Finally, a Gd-based contrast agent was tested to accelerate measurement times. Results: dMRI of living organoids is feasible at ultra-high-field with high spatial resolution, down to 20x20x20μm3. Various diffusion measures can be probed, such as kurtosis, anisotropy and diffusion time-dependence. Impact: Ultra-high field MRI organoids can provide a complementary platform to human and animal imaging for validation and design of quantitative MRI. Furthermore, dMRI of organoids adds a complementary non-invasive organoid assessment method to optical and electron microscopy.