Walter awarded $2.5M grant from the National Institute of Health

Congratulations to Benjamin Walter, assistant professor, Biomedical Engineering (BME), who has received a new 5-year National Institute of Health (NIH) award for his research related to treating low back pain.

His research titled “Magnetic Resonance Elastography as a Personalized Assessment of Intervertebral Disc Mechanics” aims to use novel non-invasive imaging tools to develop personalized diagnostics for low back pain and intervertebral disc mechanics. Lumbar spine imaging has become ubiquitous in the standard course of care for low back pain (LBP). However, this technique only offers a qualitative assessment of spinal anatomy, often not predictive of painful conditions. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), on the other hand, is a non-invasive technique that allows the in-vivo measurement of tissue’s mechanical properties and has been described as a way to visually palpate internal tissues. The goal of this research is to integrate MRE, along with other advanced magnetic resonance imaging parameters, into a “patient specific” clinical tool that can identify damage and quantify the functional consequences of disease and treatments of LBP.

This project is in collaboration with Arunark Kolipaka, associate professor, Radiology, and represents a multidisciplinary effort between the College of Engineering and the College of Medicine. Other collaborators include Daniel Boulter, MD, neuroradiologist and assistant professor (Radiology), Safdar Khan, MD, physician and associate professor (Orthopaedics), Brett Klamer, MS, biostatistician (Center for Biostatistics), Xuan Nguyen, MD, physician and assistant professor (Radiology), Tristan Weaver, MD, physician and assistant professor (Anesthesiology), and Elizabeth Yu, MD, physician and associate professor (Orthopaedics).The project has a budget of $2.5 million over the course of 5 years.