13C Hyperpolarization

The MR signal in living tissue is fundamentally limited by extremely low thermal polarization. Using hyperpolarization techniques such as dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (d-DNP), polarization of carbon-13 (¹³C) can be increased by several orders of magnitude, enabling metabolic MR applications of unprecedented sensitivity. After administration of hyperpolarized ¹³C-labeled substrates such as [1-¹³C]pyruvate, cellular metabolism transfers the ¹³C label to downstream molecules. Because each metabolite exhibits a distinct ¹³C resonance frequency, dynamic ¹³C MR allows real-time tracking of metabolic conversion rates, including pathways highly relevant in cancer biology, such as pyruvate-to-lactate flux. 

Our research integrates physics, chemistry, biomedical engineering, and clinical/pharmaceutical sciences, creating a highly interdisciplinary environment for developing and applying hyperpolarized ¹³C MR. The current focus of our work lies on preclinical applications in oncology and neuroscience, ranging from controlled in vitro systems to small-animal studies, using the SpinAligner (Polarize) system for polarization. Alongside these experimental efforts, we are advancing fast and quantitative ¹³C MR sequence design and developing new molecular probes to broaden the accessible metabolic landscape.

In parallel, we are working on the clinical translation of hyperpolarized ¹³C metabolic MRI, using the Spinlab (GE Healthcare) polarizing system. This combined preclinical and translational effort aims to extend the diagnostic and mechanistic power of metabolic MR toward clinically relevant questions in oncology and neuroscience.