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Updated: Feb 23, 2026
In vivo 19F MRI for Cell Tracking
Published on: November 25, 2013
Enhanced Fluorine-19 MRI Sensitivity using a Cryogenic Radiofrequency Probe: Technical Developments and Ex Vivo
Sonia Waiczies1, Jason M Millward2, Ludger Starke2
1Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany. sonia@waiczies.de.
Abstract:
Neuroinflammation can be monitored using fluorine-19 (19F)-containing nanoparticles and 19F MRI. Previously we studied neuroinflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) using room temperature (RT) 19F radiofrequency (RF) coils and low spatial resolution 19F MRI to overcome constraints in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This yielded an approximate localization of inflammatory lesions. Here we used a new 19F transceive cryogenic quadrature RF probe ( 19 F-CRP) that provides the SNR necessary to acquire superior spatially-resolved 19F MRI. First we characterized the signal-transmission profile of the 19 F-CRP. The 19 F-CRP was then benchmarked against a RT 19F/1H RF coil. For SNR comparison we used reference compounds including 19F-nanoparticles and ex vivo brains from EAE mice administered with 19F-nanoparticles. The transmit/receive profile of the 19 F-CRP diminished with increasing distance from the surface. This was counterbalanced by a substantial SNR gain compared to the RT coil. Intraparenchymal inflammation in the ex vivo EAE brains was more sharply defined when using 150 μm isotropic resolution with the 19 F-CRP, and reflected the known distribution of EAE histopathology. At this spatial resolution, most 19F signals were undetectable using the RT coil. The 19 F-CRP is a valuable tool that will allow us to study neuroinflammation with greater detail in future in vivo studies.
Insights
A new cryogenic radiofrequency probe significantly enhances fluorine-19 MRI signal-to-noise ratio, enabling detailed imaging of neuroinflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) models.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Neuroscience
- Materials Science
Background:
- Neuroinflammation monitoring utilizes fluorine-19 (19F)-nanoparticles and 19F MRI.
- Previous studies in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) used room temperature (RT) 19F radiofrequency (RF) coils with limited spatial resolution due to signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) constraints.
- This resulted in approximate localization of inflammatory lesions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate a novel 19F transceive cryogenic quadrature RF probe (19F-CRP) for superior spatially-resolved 19F MRI.
- To compare the performance of the 19F-CRP against a conventional RT 19F/1H RF coil for neuroinflammation imaging.
- To assess the capability of the 19F-CRP in visualizing intraparenchymal inflammation with higher resolution.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of the signal-transmission profile of the 19F-CRP.
- Benchmarking the 19F-CRP against an RT 19F/1H RF coil using reference compounds, including 19F-nanoparticles.
- Acquisition of ex vivo brains from EAE mice administered with 19F-nanoparticles at 150 μm isotropic resolution for SNR and inflammation visualization comparison.
Main Results:
- The 19F-CRP exhibited a diminished transmit/receive profile with increasing distance but provided a substantial SNR gain over the RT coil.
- Intraparenchymal inflammation in ex vivo EAE brains was more sharply defined using the 19F-CRP at 150 μm resolution, accurately reflecting EAE histopathology.
- Most 19F signals were undetectable with the RT coil at this high spatial resolution.
Conclusions:
- The 19F-CRP offers significant SNR improvement for 19F MRI compared to RT coils.
- This cryogenic probe enables higher spatial resolution imaging of neuroinflammation.
- The 19F-CRP is a valuable tool for future in vivo studies requiring detailed visualization of neuroinflammation.
