rainee Name: Supervisor(s): Measuring Specific Ventilation using Four-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Novel Physiological Biomarker of Asthma

Introduction: Specific ventilation (SV) is defined as a dimensionless quantity of inhaled gas ventilation that occurs during tidal breathing and is calculated as tidal volume divided by functional residual capacity [1]. 1H MRI was previously proposed to regionally quantify SV, using inhaled O2 as a contrast agent [2]. Our objective was to develop a novel and rapid way to measure whole lung and regional SV using free-breathing 1H MRI without exogenous contrast agents and over a short tidal breathing scan using conventional equipment. We also aimed to directly compare 1H MRI SV with hyperpolarized inhaled noble gas MRI ventilation and ventilation percent (VP).