The detection and diagnosis of disease non-invasively is achieved with varying success by several technologies.  Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy is one of the more non-invasive modalities but is an insensitive method, even for proton.  The low sensitivity of MR limits the technology to mostly structural information of tissue.  To gain metabolic information, a nucleus such as carbon-13 would be ideal due to its large chemical shift dispersion, but it suffers from low natural abundance and has ~� the sensitivity of proton.  Nearly a decade ago, the process of liquid-state dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) was introduced which increased the sensitivity of 13C MR >10,000 fold by changing the distribution of nuclear spins to a non-Boltzmann state (Figure 1).  DNP technology offers great enhancements of MR signal, but suffers from long polarization times and is available for only a 'single-shot' of polarized material.  More recently, a different method of polarization was developed, Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange (SABRE), wherein the target substrate is polarized through the scalar coupling with parahydrogen bound to an iridium-based catalyst.  SABRE provides shorter polarization times; tens of seconds.  Current technology of SABRE provides enhancements of several hundred.  Here we describe methodology for catalyst development, such as solid supported catalysts, for increased polarization of biologically relevant substrates.  Solid supported catalysts allow for a continuous flow of substrate and paraghydrogen, thus leading to 'steady-state' hyperpolarization studies of biochemical pathways.

Signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE): An avenue for "steady-state" hyperpolarization?

247th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.