University of Virginia Patent Foundation

Kai Ruppert

John P Mugler, Iii

James R Brookeman

Method and system that provides, among other things, the capability for using hyperpolarized xenon-129 as a probe to non-invasively and non-destructively characterize important properties of certain structures or materials into which hyperpolarized xenon-129 can be introduced and wherein the xenon exists in two or more chemically-shifted states that are in exchange High-resolution MR images can be generated in a fraction of a second wherein the associated signal intensities reflect material properties that characterize the gas exchange among the different states. For example, in the human or animal lung, the system and related method can exploit the differences in gas-exchange characteristics between healthy and diseased lung tissue to generate high-resolution, high signal-to-noise cross-sectional MR images that permit non-invasive regional detection of variations in lung tissue structure with a combination of spatial and temporal resolution that is unmatched by any current imaging modality.

Exchange-weighted xenon-129 nuclear magnetic resonance system and related method

A method and an apparatus for using hyperpolarized xenon-129 and magnetic resonance imaging or spectroscopy as a probe to non-invasively and non-destructively characterize important properties of certain structures or materials with high spatial and temporal resolution, resulting in high-resolution magnetic resonance images wherein the associated signal intensities reflect a property of interest of at least one of the compartments. Hyperpolarized xenon-129 is introduced into two compartments between which xenon-129 can be exchanged, for example, into the blood vessels of mammal organs and the tissue of said organ or into compartments within inorganic objects. Due to chemical shift and applied magnetic field strength, the hyperpolarized xenon-129 introduced into the first compartment has a different resonant frequency from the hyperpolarized xenon-129 introduced into the second compartment.

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Havertown, PA, United States of America

Kai Ruppert