qMSK - Musculoskeletal MRI

Background and Aim

We develop and implement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods for evaluation and diagnosis of musculoskeletal disease. Specifically, we focus on studies of early stage osteoarthritis (OA) which is the most common chronic condition of the joints. It is characterized by breakdown of joint cartilage but the whole joint is involved in the development of the disease. For example, damage to the menisci is a potent risk factor for future knee OA.

Our general aim is to utilize the unique properties of MRI to provide access to quantitative tools enabling non-invasive studies of OA disease at an early stage. In co-operation with our clinical collaborators our methods are implemented in longitudinal studies of patient cohorts with OA or at risk of developing OA.

This is a joint project with the department of Medical Radiation Physics, Malmö at Lund University (Professor Lars E. Olsson)

Specific Work

We are developing MRI methods for quantitative assessment of cartilage quality and meniscal structure at an early stage of OA disease.
A major component of cartilage is aggrecan. Aggrecan consists of a core protein to which negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAG) are attached. Decreased GAG content is generally considered an early indication of OA. Our work include different methods to measure the GAG content in cartilage, e.g. dGEMRIC and chemical exchange saturation transfer (gagCEST), We also work with evaluation of early structural alterations in the meniscus through quantitative ultra-short echo time (UTE) measurements.
The main platform for our projects is the national ultra-high field 7T facility here in Lund.