Amide Proton Transfer and tissue microstructural MRI biomarkers in brain tumors for improved diagnosis and treatment follow up

MRI, the modality for diagnosis and prognosis of brain tumors. In this study amide proton transfer weighted APTw imaging (APTw) and Multidimensional microstructural imaging (MMI) MR will be implemented in adult and pediatric patients with low and high-grade gliomas, brain metastasis as well as in patients with new Gd-enhancing lesions during or after treatment to improve (a) radiological diagnosis of tumor (b) the molecular signature/biomarker of tumors ( c) distinguish recurrent tumor from treatment effects. We will also include pediatric brain tumor patients on our 3T MR scanner. We believe these methods have the potential to enhance the noninvasive molecular diagnosis of brain tumors before and after treatment, reduce the necessity of repeated biopsies/surgery, decrease the need for Gd enhanced MRIs, improve the quality of life for patients, and reduce the cost of care.