Hyperpolarizer for 13C MR Metabolic Imaging of Human Subjects and Animal Models

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is in response to the NCRR "High End Instrumentation Grant Program S10" (RFA: PAR-11- 228) to expand our investment in improved instrumentation for the advancement of biomedical research in Stanford's interdisciplinary programs including the Richard M. Lucas Center for Imaging (Lucas Center), Center for Biomedical Imaging at Stanford (CBIS), and the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS). Translational biomedical research is of the utmost importance today and, with the rapid advances in molecular medicine and stem cells, imaging plays a vital role. We are requesting funds to purchase a General Electric Healthcare Spinlab" dynamic nuclear polarizer needed to extend our current 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) efforts. Specifically, we have built a highly successful experimental hyperpolarized 13C metabolic imaging program, but, so far, only technical research and small animal studies have been conducted due to the limitations of our pre-clinical polarizer. The proposed new polarizer will allow us to build upon this program with the additional capability of performing large animal and human studies, a critical step forward in the development of this promising technology. Providing more than a 10,000 fold increase in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as compared to thermally polarized 13C nuclei, hyperpolarized MRS forms an important bridge between MRI and molecular imaging, and the new polarizer will enable sophisticated metabolic imaging studies of cancer, heart disease, and other pathologies while ensuring the continued development of advanced hyperpolarized 13C MRS methods for years to come. The Spinlab polarizer will be located within the Lucas Center, which operates as a university Service Center and as an NCRR-funded National Research Resource (Center for Advanced MR Technology at Stanford), supplying state-of-the-art MR instrumentation and services to the campus and broader research community. A primary mission of the Stanford Department of Radiology is the translation of promising new imaging modalities from the laboratory setting to the clinic. The acquisition of this new DNP polarizer is directly aligned with this goal and has great potential to provide new insights into health and disease, ultimately improving patient care.