Metabolic contrast agents produced from transported solid ¹³C-glucose hyperpolarized via dynamic nuclear polarization

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Metabolic Imaging
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Background:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with hyperpolarized 13C-labelled agents offers real-time, non-invasive metabolic insights.
• Current methods require expensive, on-site hyperpolarization equipment, limiting accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust methodology for the remote production of hyperpolarized 13C-labelled metabolic contrast agents.
• To overcome the logistical and cost barriers associated with on-site hyperpolarization equipment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized photo-induced thermally labile radicals for solid sample extraction from hyperpolarization equipment.
• Developed a methodology enabling several hours' lifetime for agents under storage/transport conditions.
• Demonstrated remote production using [U-13C, d7]-D-glucose as an example.

Main Results:

• Successfully produced hyperpolarized 13C-labelled metabolic contrast agents remotely.
• Achieved over 10,000-fold liquid-state Magnetic Resonance signal enhancement at 9.4 T.
• Required only a simple dissolution device on-site, significantly reducing equipment needs.

Conclusions:

• The developed methodology enables remote production of hyperpolarized metabolic agents, enhancing accessibility of advanced MRI.
• This approach simplifies on-site requirements, potentially broadening the clinical and research applications of metabolic MRI.
• The technique offers a practical solution for distributing hyperpolarized agents, overcoming previous logistical challenges.