Core Facilities Seminar: New Horizons in Hyperpolarized MRI
Content
Core Facilities Seminar: New Horizons in Hyperpolarized MRI
Participants
Dr. Sella Brosh, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of NVision Imaging Technologies, and
Dr. Paul Weavers, General Manager of North America for NVision
Host: S. Sendhil Velan, Director of hMRC
Time and Location
Tuesday, April 29, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Life Science Laboratories, S330
About This Event
Metabolism plays a central role in both human physiology and disease. Therefore, the ability to visualize metabolic processes is crucial for research and clinical applications. While traditional methods like positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) have been instrumental in studying metabolism, they provide limited information about metabolic fluxes and low-abundance metabolites.
Hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (HP MRI) considerably boosts the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 13C-labeled molecules (e.g. [1-13C] pyruvate), transforming MRI into a powerful tool for the non-invasive, real-time visualization of dynamic metabolic and physiological processes in vivo. By measuring the uptake of hyperpolarized [1-13C] pyruvate and its conversion to downstream products, i.e. lactate and bicarbonate, HP MRI enables the quantification of glucose metabolism in a variety of tissues. The metabolic read-outs generated with HP MRI can be leveraged for identifying disease biomarkers, elucidating disease mechanisms, improving early diagnosis and risk stratification, as well as assessing treatment response in patients.
Importantly, HP MRI provides metabolic insights that are currently impossible to obtain with other imaging modalities. Furthermore, the unprecedented speed and simplicity of PHIP-based HP MRI enable its integration workflows across many fields, including oncology, cardiology, neurology, hepatology and nephrology. In sum, PHIP-based HP MRI holds the promise of revolutionizing preclinical and medical research, enhancing our understanding of metabolic processes in health and disease.