Quasi-continuous production of highly hyperpolarized carbon-13 contrast agents every 15 seconds within an MRI system

Hyperpolarized contrast agents (HyCAs) are crucial for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of metabolism and pH in vivo. However, current production methods are time and cost-intensive. This research demonstrates virtually continuous HyCA production using parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP), integrated within an MRI system, eliminating the need for a separate polarizer. Polarization of approximately 2% for [1-¹³C] succinate-d₂ and 19% for hydroxyethyl-[1-¹³C] propionate-d₃ was achieved every 15 seconds. This rapid PHIP technique (Rapid-PHIP) facilitates fast preclinical studies, repeated administration or continuous infusion, and allows for signal averaging and dynamic monitoring of metabolic alterations.

Andreas B. Schmidt, Mirko Zimmermann, Stephan Berner, Henri de Maissin, Christoph A. Müller, Vladislav Ivantaev, Jürgen Hennig, Dominik v. Elverfeldt, Jan-Bernd Hövener