Boulder, Colorado May 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ High Precision Devices, Inc. (HPD) received a joint award with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for commercializing the temperature-controlled spherical magnetic resonance imaging phantom, branded as the HPD Diffusion Phantom Model 128. 

This phantom was developed by a collaborative effort between the NIST, the National Cancer Institute and the Radiological Society of North America’s Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance to address the need for a quantitative calibration standard in multi-site clinical trials involving MRI brain imaging.

MRI can detect microscopic changes related to cancer, neurotrauma and neurodegenerative diseases by detecting changes in the diffusion of water in tissue.  Absolute measurements from scanners vary due to differences in vendor technology and operator acquisition protocols, obscuring the ability to make a quantitative diagnosis. 

To reveal this information in longitudinal data across various clinical sites, a calibration standard is essential. The HPD Diffusion Phantom Model 128 provides NIST traceable solutions to mimic the diffusion of water in human tissue.   In its current form, the phantom is cooled by an ice-water bath system to eliminate variability caused by temperature differences in scanners and fits into all 1.5T and 3T head coils.

The phantom is part of the TRACK-TBI clinical trials and is being used in over 20 other scanners worldwide to facilitate quantitative MRI data acquisition.

For more information on HPD’s quantitative MRI phantoms, visit www.hpd-online.com or call 303-447-2558.