Barrow Neuroimaging Innovation Center: New Space for Next-Gen Imaging

The Neuroimaging Innovation Center at Barrow Neurological Institute has undergone renovations to accommodate its growing team and to support its mission of establishing next-generation neuroimaging technologies for patient care.

Behind the sleek new entrances, featuring images of the brain and spine on frosted glass, are new office spaces housing staff who are critical to the Center’s work. They include faculty, administrators, clinical coordinators, imaging technicians, trainees, and an incoming dedicated research nurse.

The 5,000-square-foot Center also boasts a new computational laboratory. This will provide the research team with the latest computing technology needed for data mining, visualization, and modeling.

Additionally, the Center’s MRI suite has been upgraded to accommodate clinical imaging scans, which will save time for both researchers and patients.

The suite has long served as the core of Center and is equipped with a host of imaging capabilities. However, it previously did not allow for patient-centric, clinical imaging research. In other words, patients had to undergo separate scans—one for clinical purposes and another to collect research data.

The renovated suite will allow MRI technicians to collect both clinical images and research information simultaneously.

“For the past decade, the imaging Center and its research MRI scanner were used primarily for developments in MR engineering hardware and software,” said Chad Quarles, PhD, a professor of neuroimaging research and the director of the Barrow Neuroimaging Innovation Center.

“By adding offices to support clinical personnel, establishing a high-end computational lab, and enabling hybrid clinical research scans in our MRI suite, we are now strategically equipped to address the imaging challenges facing Barrow physicians and fulfill our mission of transforming patient care through innovative neuroimaging solutions.”

The Center aims to apply these solutions to all major neurological conditions treated at Barrow. These include brain tumors, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, neuropathies and nerve trauma, spinal cord disorders, and neurovascular disorders.