Hyperpolarized Xe-129 MRI for Functional Lung Phenotyping

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract We propose the purchase of a Xe-129 gas imaging system for the purpose of advanced MR functional imaging of the lung. The system contains a hyperpolarizer for Xe-129 coupled to a dedicated Xe-129 MRI coil necessary for receiving frequencies at Xe-129 resonance. Further, we propose to use the Xe-129 MRI gas system to complement our dual source/dual energy multi-spectral computed tomography-based evaluations of lung disease and lung treatment efficacies. The polarizer, coil and ancillary equipment included in this proposal will support research in smoking cessation, COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and in the correlations of genetic information to the disease progression in COPD populations. The addition of polarized Xe-129 MR imaging of the lung would provide an important complimentary set of metrics to CT imaging and would allow us to place the unique measures from the two modalities in context with each other. The critical metrics provided by Xe-129 MRI include estimates of regional acinar geometry as well as an assessment of the pathway for gas exchange with Xe-129 providing a uniquely different signal in air, tissue and blood. The Iowa Comprehensive Lung Imaging Center at the University of Iowa consists of a well-integrated group of Physicians, Radiologists, Anesthesiologists, Medical Physicists, Biomedical, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers as well as a strong support team of study coordinators, computer programmers, statisticians all well- funded by the NIH. This team provides significant operational support to numerous large multicenter NIH-sponsored studies including COPDGene, SPIROMICS, SARP, MESA Lung and more.