Ilwoo Park

Jeremy Gordon

Hyperpolarized ¹³C MRI has emerged as a novel non-invasive imaging technique to assess metabolism in-vivo. However, hyperpolarized contrast agents have unique properties that require specialized imaging methods. Data acquisition strategies must account for the lower ¹³C gyromagnetic ratio, encode spectroscopic information, and acquire dynamic and volumetric data quickly relative to metabolism and T₁ relaxation.

This talk will describe the state-of-the-art in fast imaging methods for hyperpolarized ¹³C MRI, including the tradeoffs between the three major categories of fast imaging methods - spectroscopic imaging, model-based strategies, and metabolite specific imaging – and will discuss the RF pulses that enable these acquisition strategies.

James Bankson

Hyperpolarized (HP) imaging agents such as [1-13C]-pyruvate can provide unique insight into metabolic processes in vivo.  The pharmacokinetics of HP imaging agents are affected by metabolic and other characteristics of the biological system.  Signal evolution is also modified by spin-lattice relaxation and by excitation pulses that are necessary for sampling data.  Pharmacokinetic (PK) models offer a framework for explaining signal evolution, quantifying metabolic characteristics, and optimizing data acquisition and analysis strategies.  In this lecture, we will derive extensible PK models for HP imaging agents, review simplifying assumptions, and demonstrate their utility for optimizing acquisitions and reducing errors in quantification.

Michael Ohliger