Project Grant R01EB038746

Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Mayo Clinic received a $625,527 Project Grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under the Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health program (CFDA 93.286), awarded effective April 1, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2030. The grant supports research to overcome critical limitations in non-invasive coronary artery imaging using next-generation photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT) combined with artificial intelligence. The project addresses three primary technical challenges: excessive image noise in high-spatial-resolution imaging, motion artifacts that remain problematic despite current temporal resolution capabilities, and limited spectral separation resulting from charge-sharing properties in photon-counting detectors that compromise plaque characterization accuracy.

The research deliverables focus on developing innovative solutions to enhance PCD-CT diagnostic capability for coronary artery disease assessment, particularly in challenging clinical scenarios such as emergency department settings where patient motion and arrhythmias are common. Mayo Clinic's research team proposes implementing coincidence counting technologies in partnership with detector and scanner manufacturers to improve material decomposition accuracy and plaque characterization while controlling image noise and motion artifacts. These technological advances are intended to enable robust quantification of luminal stenosis and visualization of high-risk plaque features, thereby improving the clinical utility of PCD-CT imaging across all patient populations with varying baseline conditions.