2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Development of Ultra-High-Resolution MRI for Human Embryo and Construction of a Standard High-Resolution Atlas of the Embryonic Brain

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	21H01333
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 21030:Measurement engineering-related
Research Institution	University of Tsukuba
Principal Investigator	Terada Yasuhiko 筑波大学, 数理物質系, 准教授 (20400640)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	仲村高志国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 生命機能科学研究センター, 特別嘱託技師 (60321791) 山田重人京都大学, 医学研究科, 教授 (80432384) 山口雅之国立研究開発法人国立がん研究センター, 東病院, 医長 (90450577)
Project Period (FY)	2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Keywords	超高分解能MRI / ヒト胚子・胎児 / 脳の神経発達機構
Outline of Final Research Achievements	The brain has a complex structure and function, and many aspects of its neurodevelopmental mechanisms remain unresolved. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can noninvasively observe human embryos in three dimensions. Still, previous devices had low spatial resolution, making it difficult to delineate the fine structures necessary for elucidating developmental mechanisms. In this project, we developed MRI with the world's highest spatial resolution (10 μm) and demonstrated that it effectively depicts the fine structures of the human embryonic brain. Using this technology, samples from each stage were scanned, and the basic data necessary for atlas construction were obtained. The results of this project are expected to serve as a foundation for elucidating the developmental mechanisms of the central nervous system of the brain, a task that has been difficult to accomplish.
Free Research Field	磁気共鳴医工学、人体発生学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	本課題では、世界最高レベルの空間分解能（10μm）をもつMRIを開発したことで、これまで主に外表面の特徴点に頼っていた構造解析を、内部の特徴点にまで拡張して明らかにすることができる点で大きな学術的意義がある。将来的には、多数の正常胎児脳に対する構造解析結果を成長段階別に系統的に統計解析することで、神経発達メカニズムの解明に寄与する。さらに本課題で得られたデータは、胎児の超音波診断の基盤データともなり、周産期医学や出生前診断の分野においても利用可能となるなど、期待される波及効果は大きい。