Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center

The Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center is shared by researchers at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) primarily as well as other researchers in Oklahoma. Our biomedical research interests include, but are not limited to, cancer biology, neurological disorders and cardiovascular pathologies.

Our research target themes are addressed with techniques such as basic morphological MRI (e.g. T1, T2 imaging), dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE) to establish location and extent of pathological lesions, MR angiography (MRA) to visualize vascularization, functional MRI (fMRI) to monitor tissue/organ response given a challenge function, and MR spectroscopy (MRS) to follow metabolic changes during a disease processes.

A particular strength of the facility is recent developments in the use of molecular targeting agents, which couple a MRI contrast agent (such as gadolinium complexes or ferromagnetic particles) with antibodies specific for cellular receptors or other antigens. This form of contrast enhanced imaging, allows in vivo visualization of molecular events. Many of the studies utilize transgenic murine models. The use of transgenic mice has dramatically advanced our ability to analyze and understand the molecular basis of various diseases. However, we are not limited to mice. Subjects up to approximately 20 cm in axial diameter may be imaged.

The Oklahoma INBRE, OMRF COBRE, and OCAST (Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology) funding provides the facility with infrastructure funds for investigators to obtain in vivo non-invasive functional, morphological and molecular information on various disease models focusing on neurological diseases and cancer detection and therapeutic agent assessments, and cardiovascular disease.

2022

Towner RA, Hocker J, Smith N, Saunders D, Battiste J, Hanas J. OKN-007 Alters Protein Expression Profiles in High-Grade Gliomas: Mass Spectral Analysis of Blood Sera. Brain Sci 12, 2022 January, PMID: 35053843

Piekarz KM, Georgescu C, Wren JD, Towner RA, Van Remmen H. Pharmacologic treatment with OKN-007 reduces alpha-motor neuron loss in spinal cord of aging mice. Geroscience, 2022 January, PMID: 34984634

2021

Zalles M, Smith N, Saunders D, Lerner M, Fung KM, Battiste J, Towner RA. A tale of two multi-focal therapies for glioblastoma: An antibody targeting ELTD1 and nitrone-based OKN-007. J Cell Mol Med, 2021 December, PMID: 34910361, PMCID: PMC8743651

Towner RA, Smith N, Saunders D, Hurst RE. MRI as a Tool to Assess Interstitial Cystitis Associated Bladder and Brain Pathologies. Diagnostics (Basel) 11, 2021 December, PMID: 34943535, PMCID: PMC8700450

Wang M, Li Y, Wang M, Liu K, Hoover AR, Li M, Towner RA, Mukherjee P, Zhou F, Qu J, Chen WR. Synergistic Interventional Photothermal Therapy and Immunotherapy Using an Iron Oxide Nanoplatform for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer. Acta Biomater, 2021 October, PMID: 34757232

Towner RA, Saunders D, Lerner M, Silasi Mansat R, Yuan T, Barber D, Faakye J, Nyul-Toth A, Csiszar A, Greenwood-Van Meerveld B, Smith N. Temporary opening of the blood-brain barrier with the nitrone compound OKN-007. Am J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 11:363-373, 2021 October, PMID: 34754607, PMCID: PMC8569329

Van Remmen H, Freeman WM, Miller BF, Kinter M, Wren JD, Chiao A, Towner RA, Snider TA, Sonntag WE, Richardson A. Oklahoma Nathan Shock Aging Center - assessing the basic biology of aging from genetics to protein and function. Geroscience, 2021 October, PMID: 34606039, PMCID: PMC8599778

Zalles M, Smith N, Saunders D, Guzman M, Lerner M, Fung KM, Babu A, Battiste J, Chung J, Hwang K, Jin J, Towner RA. ELTD1 as a multi-focal target for malignant gliomas: preclinical studies. Neurooncol Adv 3:vdab132, 2021 September, PMID: 34704036, PMCID: PMC8541707

Zalles M, Towner RA, Debinski W. Pre-Clinical Models and Potential Novel Therapies for Glioblastomas , 2021 April, PMID: 34038053

Towner RA, Gulej R, Zalles M, Saunders D, Smith N, Lerner M, Morton KA, Richardson A. Rapamycin restores brain vasculature, metabolism, and blood-brain barrier in an inflammaging model. Geroscience, 2021 April, PMID: 33846885, PMCID: PMC8110648

Towner RA, Greenwood-Van Meerveld B, Mohammadi E, Saunders D, Smith N, Sant GR, Shain HC, Jozefiak TH, Hurst RE. SuperGAG biopolymers for treatment of excessive bladder permeability. Pharmacol Res Perspect 9:e00709, 2021 February, PMID: 33540486, PMCID: PMC7861891

Towner RA, Smith N, Zalles M, Morris S, Toliver M, Saunders D, Lerner M, Kumar G, Axtell RC. ELTD1 as a biomarker for multiple sclerosis: Pre-clinical molecular-targeted studies in a mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model. Mult Scler Relat Disord 49:102786, 2021 January, PMID: 33517175, PMCID: PMC8068591

Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center, MS 60
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 NE 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Phone: (405) 271-7123
Fax: (405) 271-7254
Email: Debra-Saunders@omrf.org