Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

coreMRI: A high-performance, publicly available MR simulation platform on the cloud

Xanthis, Christos LU and Aletras, Anthony LU orcid (2019) In PLoS ONE
Abstract
Introduction
A Cloud-ORiented Engine for advanced MRI simulations (coreMRI) is presented in this study. The aim was to develop the first advanced MR simulation platform delivered as a web service through an on-demand, scalable cloud-based and GPU-based infrastructure. We hypothesized that such an online MR simulation platform could be utilized as a virtual MRI scanner but also as a cloud-based, high-performance engine for advanced MR simulations in simulation-based quantitative MR (qMR) methods.

Methods and results
The simulation framework of coreMRI was based on the solution of the Bloch equations and utilized a ground-up-approach design based on the principles already published in the literature. The development of a... (More)
Introduction
A Cloud-ORiented Engine for advanced MRI simulations (coreMRI) is presented in this study. The aim was to develop the first advanced MR simulation platform delivered as a web service through an on-demand, scalable cloud-based and GPU-based infrastructure. We hypothesized that such an online MR simulation platform could be utilized as a virtual MRI scanner but also as a cloud-based, high-performance engine for advanced MR simulations in simulation-based quantitative MR (qMR) methods.

Methods and results
The simulation framework of coreMRI was based on the solution of the Bloch equations and utilized a ground-up-approach design based on the principles already published in the literature. The development of a front-end environment allowed the connection of the end-users to the GPU-equipped instances on the cloud. The coreMRI simulation platform was based on a modular design where individual modules (such as the Gadgetron reconstruction framework and a newly developed Pulse Sequence Designer) could be inserted in the main simulation framework. Different types and sources of pulse sequences and anatomical models were utilized in this study revealing the flexibility that the coreMRI simulation platform offers to the users. The performance and scalability of coreMRI were also examined on multi-GPU configurations on the cloud, showing that a multi-GPU computer on the cloud equipped with a newer generation of GPU cards could significantly mitigate the prolonged execution times that accompany more realistic MRI and qMR simulations.

Conclusions
coreMRI is available to the entire MR community, whereas its high performance and scalability allow its users to configure advanced MRI experiments without the constraints imposed by experimentation in a true MRI scanner (such as time constraint and limited availability of MR scanners), without upfront investment for purchasing advanced computer systems and without any user expertise on computer programming or MR physics. coreMRI is available to the users through the webpage https://www.coreMRI.org. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
PLoS ONE
article number
e.0216594
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85066068811
  • pmid:31100074
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0216594
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e066804d-4da9-4ded-bf18-664d2659984f
date added to LUP
2019-05-22 06:32:27
date last changed
2022-04-26 00:10:41
@article{e066804d-4da9-4ded-bf18-664d2659984f,
  abstract     = {{Introduction<br/>A Cloud-ORiented Engine for advanced MRI simulations (coreMRI) is presented in this study. The aim was to develop the first advanced MR simulation platform delivered as a web service through an on-demand, scalable cloud-based and GPU-based infrastructure. We hypothesized that such an online MR simulation platform could be utilized as a virtual MRI scanner but also as a cloud-based, high-performance engine for advanced MR simulations in simulation-based quantitative MR (qMR) methods.<br/><br/>Methods and results<br/>The simulation framework of coreMRI was based on the solution of the Bloch equations and utilized a ground-up-approach design based on the principles already published in the literature. The development of a front-end environment allowed the connection of the end-users to the GPU-equipped instances on the cloud. The coreMRI simulation platform was based on a modular design where individual modules (such as the Gadgetron reconstruction framework and a newly developed Pulse Sequence Designer) could be inserted in the main simulation framework. Different types and sources of pulse sequences and anatomical models were utilized in this study revealing the flexibility that the coreMRI simulation platform offers to the users. The performance and scalability of coreMRI were also examined on multi-GPU configurations on the cloud, showing that a multi-GPU computer on the cloud equipped with a newer generation of GPU cards could significantly mitigate the prolonged execution times that accompany more realistic MRI and qMR simulations.<br/><br/>Conclusions<br/>coreMRI is available to the entire MR community, whereas its high performance and scalability allow its users to configure advanced MRI experiments without the constraints imposed by experimentation in a true MRI scanner (such as time constraint and limited availability of MR scanners), without upfront investment for purchasing advanced computer systems and without any user expertise on computer programming or MR physics. coreMRI is available to the users through the webpage https://www.coreMRI.org.}},
  author       = {{Xanthis, Christos and Aletras, Anthony}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{coreMRI: A high-performance, publicly available MR simulation platform on the cloud}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216594}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0216594}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}