Harmonized Xe MRI to understand gas exchange and pulmonary hypertension in interstitial lung disease
Official title: Harmonized Xe MRI for Assessing PH and Gas Exchange in Interstitial Lung Disease
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11366744 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A multi-center study uses xenon MRI to non-invasively measure gas exchange and lung blood flow in people with progressive fibrotic lung diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | May 6, 2015 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $870,277 |
| NIH project number | 2R01HL126771-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11366744 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with progressive fibrotic lung diseases such as IPF or autoimmune-associated ILD who may have or be at risk for pulmonary hypertension.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without fibrotic lung disease or without suspected pulmonary hypertension may not benefit from this imaging approach.
What this research studies
This project aims to develop a fast, harmonized 129Xe MRI method across imaging platforms to detect and monitor pulmonary hypertension in patients with progressive fibrotic lung diseases like IPF and autoimmune ILD. It will create normal reference values and validate the technique in PH-ILD, with the goal of a 10-minute comprehensive scan that captures gas exchange and capillary blood oxygenation. The work involves multi-center collaboration, imaging protocol optimization, and comparison with clinical outcomes to establish how this method could guide treatment and prognosis for patients. If successful, clinicians could use this non-invasive tool to better track disease progression and response to therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Patients could benefit from a faster, non-invasive test that better detects and monitors pulmonary hypertension in interstitial lung diseases, potentially guiding treatment decisions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promising results with xenon MRI for detailed gas-exchange imaging, and harmonization across platforms is a logical next step.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Driehuys, Bastiaan — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Driehuys, Bastiaan
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.