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Hyperpolarized Noble Gases as Contrast Agents

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In vivo NMR Imaging

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 771))

Abstract

Hyperpolarized noble gases (3He and 129Xe) can provide NMR signal enhancements of 10,000 to 100,000 times that of thermally polarized gases and have shown great potential for applications in lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by greatly enhancing the sensitivity and contrast. These gases obtain a highly polarized state by employing a spin exchange optical pumping technique. In this chapter, the underlying physics of spin exchange optical pumping for production of hyperpolarized noble gases is explained and the basic components and procedures for building a polarizer are described. The storage and delivery strategies of hyperpolarized gases for in vivo imaging are discussed. Many of the problems that are likely to be encountered in practical experiments and the corresponding detailed approaches to overcome them are also discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks Dominic Graziani and Xianping Sun for proof reading and helpful suggestions for the manuscript. The work was supported by the 100 talents program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the innovative methods program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences Division, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC02-05CH11231.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 430071, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China

    Xin Zhou

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Correspondence to Xin Zhou .

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  1. ERC Project BiosensorImaging, Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmako, Robert-Roessle-Str. 10, Berlin, 13125, Germany

    Leif Schröder

  2. Inst. Klinische Radiologie, AG Experimentelle, Universität Münster, Haus Rosenbach Waldeyerstr. 1, Münster, 48149, Germany

    Cornelius Faber

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Zhou, X. (2011). Hyperpolarized Noble Gases as Contrast Agents. In: Schröder, L., Faber, C. (eds) In vivo NMR Imaging. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 771. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-219-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-219-9_10

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