TOPPE: A Pulseq-compatible tool for vendor-agnostic pulse sequence programming
In the quest for reproducible MRI research, the open source community has produced numerous mature software packages for image reconstruction and analysis across a range of applications. The data acquisition step, however, is more difficult to control and harmonize across sites and vendor platforms. Several groups have introduced frameworks for “easier” MR pulse programming that may offer a solution to this problem. I will discuss one such framework, TOPPE, that is conceptually similar to Pulseq. I will also describe an open software tool for B0 shimming, another aspect of the MR experimental setup related to the data acquisition step that is often overlooked. Together, Pulseq and TOPPE allow a sequence to be ported across Siemens and GE scanners, with potentially more to follow in the future. These frameworks, together with existing open tools for image reconstruction and analysis, have the potential to finally “democratize” the entire MR experimental workflow.
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Discussion points of the webinar:
Relevant Links:https://toppemri.github.io/, http://pulseq.github.io/ |
by Jon-Fredrik Nielsen, PhD
University of Michigan
Jon-Fredrik Nielsen is an MR physicist in the functional MRI laboratory at University of Michigan, where he develops acquisition methods for both functional and quantitative (e.g., myelin water fraction) MRI. He is the primary developer of TOPPE and associated tools for Pulseq compatibility.
