RECYCLE OF 129XE FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION LUNG IMAGING

稀有气体同位素，可以是核自旋极化是非常有吸引力的成像剂，因为它们的高检测灵敏度的核磁共振。特别地，自旋极化129 μ π ι使得能够对肺和气道进行快速的气体空间成像，以用于临床诊断和生理研究。不幸的是，129公斤的高成本限制了可以进行的高分辨率肺部成像研究的数量。我们建议开发一个系统，以回收和循环同位素富集氙气，使高分辨率肺成像可以成为常见的和廉价的。这项创新是一种低温气体分离系统，它可以从病人的呼出气流中提取和净化129氪，并将其保存起来，用于重新极化和重新使用在其他病人身上。在第一阶段，我们将通过以下方式证明129氚回收系统的可行性：（1）进行概念验证测试，证明从呼出气体中有效分离、纯化和灭菌129氚的可行性，以及（2）完善完整系统的概念设计，以回收和再循环129氚。在第二阶段，我们将建立和展示一个完整的回收和循环利用系统。拟议的商业应用：稀有稀有气体同位素如果能够经济地使用，将是医学成像的潜在突破。这些同位素的用途包括肺和气道的高分辨率气体空间成像、实用的低场MRI、血液灌注和脑生理学研究以及基于气态同位素扩散的多孔介质研究。该计划开发的技术将使这些稀有同位素能够多次重复使用，从而使这些进步变得实用和经济。

Noble gas isotopes that can be nuclear spin-polarized are very attractive imaging agents because of their high detection sensitivity for nuclear magnetic resonance. In particular, spin-polarized 129Xe enables fast, gas- space imaging of the lungs and airways for clinical diagnosis and physiological studies. Unfortunately, the high-cost of 129Xe limits the number of high-resolution lung imaging studies that can be performed. We propose to develop a system to recover and recycle isotopically enriched xenon gas so that high-resolution lung imaging can become common and inexpensive. The innovation is a cryogenic gas separation system that extracts and purifies the 129Xe from a patient's exhalation stream and saves it for re- polarization and reuse in other patients. In Phase I, we will prove the feasibility of the 129Xe recovery system by: (1) performing a proof-of- concept test that demonstrates the feasibility of efficiently separating, purifying, and sterilizing the 129Xe from exhalation gases, and (2) refining a conceptual design of a complete system to recover and recycle 129Xe. In Phase II, we will build and demonstrate a complete recovery and recycling system. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Rare, noble gas isotopes are a potential breakthrough for medical imaging if they could be used economically. Uses for these isotopes include high- resolution, gas-space imaging of the lungs and airways, practical low-field MRI, studies of blood perfusion and brain physiology, and porous media studies based on diffusion of gaseous isotopes. Technology developed in this program will make these advances practical and economical by enabling these rare isotopes to be reused many times.