Abstract #0845

Monitoring Acellular Matrix-Based Soft Tissue Regeneration: Multiexponential Diffusion & T2* for Improved Specificity

Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng^1,2, Yasir Loai², Walid A. Farhat²

¹Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ²Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Quantitative MRI parameters such as T1 and T2 relaxation times provide a means to probe tissue microstructure and composition. However, specificity is often limited, as is the case when interrogating complex systems such as regenerating tissue where concurrent biophysical and biochemical changes exist. This study explores multiexponential diffusion and effective transverse relaxation time T2* at 1.5 Tesla for probing cell growth and tissue composition. The slow diffusion fraction from multiexponential diffusion analysis yielded the best correlation with cellularity, with minimal influence from underlying matrix degradation. T2* measurements were sensitive to macromolecular content without confounding influence from tissue hydration.