The National Heart Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are seeking research co-development partners and/or licensees for a newly developed method of obtaining hyperpolarized imaging agents for real time metabolic imaging using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This method uses a unique recyclable perfluorinated Iridium Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange (SABRE) catalyst to generate hyperpolarized MRI imaging agents for patient administration. This novel method, catalyst and resulting imaging agents, can be used in MRI metabolic imaging to detect cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injury; and monitor therapies without the presence of metals such as gadolinium or iron. Attend a free webinar on December 18th to hear from Rolf Swenson, PhD, the co-inventor, and learn about this new technology.
Hyperpolarized MRI is a noninvasive, non-radioactive technique that enables real-time, pathway-specific investigation of in vivo metabolic processes and disease mechanisms, previously inaccessible with conventional imaging. For example, by amplifying the signal of [1-13C]pyruvate molecules through hyperpolarization, the real-time visualization of metabolic processes becomes possible and provides crucial insights in the study of a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders, metabolic diseases, neurologic disorders and treatment response. Traditional methods for obtaining hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate are highly expensive and time consuming.
When combined with a fluorinated/methanol blend, this novel perfluorinated Iridium SABRE catalyst boosts [1-13C]pyruvate hyperpolarization by 1.2-fold, is easily separable and recyclable, and retains its activity for at least 10 hyperpolarization cycles. The resulting hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate is obtained in a fraction of the time (15 min) needed for traditional methods (several hours) and at a fraction of the associated costs. This presentation will discuss this novel method, the types of novel SABRE catalyst that can be used, and the novel types of hyperpolarized imaging agents that can be produced by this method.