Gamma-MRI

Gamma-MRI: the future of molecular imaging

The objective of the Gamma-MRI project is to develop a clinical molecular imaging device based on the physical principle of anisotropic gamma emission from hyperpolarised metastable xenon.

In the strategic move from « one size fits all » to personalised medicine, molecular imaging plays an essential role. However, despite significant technological advances in the last decades, medical imaging (especially for the brain) relies heavily on very expensive, complex and bulky machines. Moreover, MRI suffers from low sensitivity, only partially compensated by the recent advances in hyperpolarisation. On the other hand, the very sensitive PET and SPECT imaging modalities offer limited spatial resolution. Besides those trade-offs, the limited access to suitable devices still hinders the applicability of medical imaging to address major healthcare challenges in brain-related pathologies, even in Europe. Stroke alone is the second cause of death and the third cause of disability worldwide. The evolution of ischaemic damage varies much among patients. To achieve significant improvement in the outcome of the patients, a careful selection of the treatment path guided by images of the ischaemic brain, in a narrow time window of just a few hours is crucial. Unfortunately, point-of-care molecular imaging that could speed up patient management barely exists.

Gamma-MRI is a game-changer imaging technology, combining the high sensitivity of gamma ray detection and the high resolution and flexibility of MRI, bringing down by multiple fold the cost of molecular imaging. Six closely interlinked work packages will cover: production of hyperpolarised gamma-emitting xenon isomers; preserving hyperpolarisation until delivery to targeted organ; developing advanced image acquisition and reconstruction using physics- and artificial intelligence- based approaches; designing and assembling the prototype upon a low field versatile magnet; and implementing the first preclinical Gamma-MRI brain imaging experiment.

Our group is responsible for the following tasks:

1. optimisation and the standardisation of the radioactive gas mXe production;
2. the maximisation of mXe polarisation with an optical pumping technique, the so called Spin-Exchange Optical-Pumping (SEOP);
3. the exploration of the Dynamic Nuclear Polarisation (DNP) in polarising mXe isomers;
4. the extraction, maintenance and transport of the polarised mXe samples for further manipulations and experiments.