Across-cities transportable ¹³C hyperpolarization using UV-induced labile radicals

Hyperpolarized ¹³C Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (HP ¹³C-MRSI) has the potential to transform diagnostic radiology thanks to its unique ability to noninvasively detect a broad range of diseases entailing aberrant metabolism. However, clinical adoption has been hindered by the short lifetime of ¹³C-hyperpolarization and the resulting need for on-site polarizer near the MR scanner. In this work, we present a solution for long-lived transportable HP molecular contrast agents that uses dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (dDNP) combined with UV-induced labile radicals. This approach allows centralized pre-polarization and transport under hours-long storage T₁ conditions. We validate this concept through the first across-cities HP ¹³C-MRSI experiments in vivo, injecting healthy female rats with both a perfusion/angiography ([1-¹³C]HP001) and a metabolic ([U-¹³C, d₇]glucose) contrast agent. Our findings advance the feasibility of decentralized, scalable HP MRI workflows, removing the barrier of on-site infrastructure.