Faster, Easier Heart MRI for Patients with Heart Failure

Rapid Free-Breathing Self-Gated Spiral Pulse Sequences for Simultaneous Cine and T1 mapping

NIH-funded research University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11321063

This project is creating a new type of MRI scan that is quicker and more comfortable for people living with heart failure.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of California, San Francisco NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (San Francisco, United States)
Project IDNIH-11321063 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Current heart MRI scans can take up to an hour and require patients to hold their breath many times, which is especially hard for those with heart failure. This new approach aims to develop a special MRI technique that allows patients to breathe normally throughout the scan. The goal is to make the scan much shorter, under 5 minutes, while still providing detailed information about the heart. This would make heart imaging more accessible and less stressful for patients.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for future applications of this technology would be patients diagnosed with heart failure who need regular heart imaging.

Not a fit: Patients without heart failure or those who do not require cardiac magnetic resonance imaging would not directly benefit from this specific imaging improvement.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this new MRI technique could provide a faster, more comfortable, and more widely available way to check on the hearts of patients with heart failure.

How similar studies have performed: This project is developing a novel technique to address current limitations in cardiac MRI, building on existing knowledge of imaging methods.

Where this research is happening

San Francisco, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.