FY20 PHASE I SBIR CONTRACT - TOPIC 401 - PHASE I SBIR CONTRACT QUANTITATIVE BIOMIMETIC MRI BREAST TISSUE AND TUMOR PHANTOM: TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE PHA

Research statistics have confirmed that breast cancer early detection saves lives. It is important that the patient is staged properly with the lowest possible side effects (morbidity). The best personalized treatment with almost immediate feedback on efficacy is critical to addressing the spread of breast cancer in a timely manner. Creation of a biomimetic quantitative MRI platform to guide the optimization of MRI scanners will enable and improve early breast cancer detection by providing a basis for quantitative assessment of tumor progression during treatment, and providing a means for cancer staging based on qMRI biomimics of primary tumor and lymph nodes. It is believed that this will drive research on using MRI to assess lymph nodal status and ultimately avoid many of the currently required lymph node biopsies and lymph node removal.