Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded Vanderbilt University Medical Center $694,929 on July 15, 2026, under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research program (CFDA 93.394) to translate MR Cytometry imaging technology into a clinical tool for cancer detection and diagnosis. This Academic-Industrial Partnership grant, extending through June 30, 2031, develops an innovative diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method that non-invasively measures mean cell size in vivo, thereby enabling tissue characterization for clinical applications. The collaborative effort partners Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Washington in Seattle with Philips Healthcare to optimize pulse sequences, integrate automated data analyses, and deploy the technology on commercial MRI platforms for widespread clinical use, with initial focus on breast cancer assessment.

The deliverables encompass two primary aims: (1) prototype development of an end-user MR Cytometry imaging tool on Philips' commercial MRI platform, including oscillating gradient spin echo sequence acquisition and automated data analysis capabilities, and (2) protocol optimization by the Vanderbilt team to validate and refine the imaging protocols for clinical implementation. This translation effort builds on previous NIH-funded diffusion MRI research and leverages Philips' established relationship with Vanderbilt to move the academic innovation from research settings to state-of-the-art clinical scanners capable of supporting multi-site clinical evaluation and advancement of cancer detection and diagnostic capabilities.