UNC School of Medicine has received a $2 million grant for a whole body magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. The scanner will be dedicated for National Institutes of Health-funded research on campus, including three studies on pediatric brain development.

The studies include:
*the development of dedicated imaging hardware and software for use with very young normal children without sedation.
*brain imaging of infants at high risk for autism spectrum disorder
*investigation of brain development in normal one- and two-year olds to provide a basis for future studies of neurodevelopmental disorders.

The new scanner will reduce the time it takes to obtain MR images from about 30 minutes to less than 10 minutes, making the procedure more tolerable for the patient, according to Weili Lin, Ph.D., professor and vice chairman of basic research in the department of radiology and deputy director of the Biomedical Research Imaging Center.

The grant comes from the National Center for Research Resources, a part of the National Institutes of Health. It is one of 20 such awards to research institutions nationwide to support the purchase of the latest generation of advanced research equipment.