BrainMap: Yi-Fen Yen, PhD. Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Imaging.
Yi-Fen Yen, PhD
Assistant Professor
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging
Massachusetts General Hospital
Title: Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Imaging
Abstract: Recent breakthroughs enabling the hyperpolarization of biologically interesting substrates containing 13C, are revolutionizing the ways we image metabolism in vivo. This new imaging modality capitalizes on a huge (>80,000) 13C signal enhancement afforded by dynamic nuclear polarization and fast dissolution techniques. Unlike PET, hyperpolarized 13C MRI not only detects the injected 13C-labeled substrate but also downstream metabolic products through changes in the measured spectra. The hyperpolarized signal enhancement is passed on from the injected substrate to the downstream products, allowing us to image them in real time with high spatial and temporal resolutions on clinical 3T MRI systems. Hence, hyperpolarized 13C metabolic imaging is used to interrogate biological system in real time to quantify flux and identify altered metabolic pathways in diseases, complementing the PET imaging findings and bridging the gap between MRI and molecular imaging. Hyperpolarized 13C metabolic MRI has shown promise in cancer research, metabolic disorders, and cardiac diseases in pre-clinical studies, and the technique has rapidly progressed to clinical trials recently. In this presentation, I will introduce the technique, highlight some interesting applications, and discuss potential collaborations.