Radiology Research

Hyperpolarized Gas -  Resources
 

The hyperpolarized gas research program started at UVa in 1996, through a collaboration with Princeton University physicists. Subsequent rapid growth in research activity and significant federal and state funding permitted the creation of the new "Center for In-Vivo Hyperpolarized Gas MR Imaging" in June 2001. The new "Center" has an extensive list of available resources. On top of the list, our new 1.5 Tesla Siemens Sonata MR scanner (installed on May 2002) with fast gradients and powerful multispectral software is definitely a valuable new asset.

1.5 T Siemens Sonata MR scanner

This center has a 300ft2 laser-polarizer lab where the noble gases (3He and 129Xe) are optically pumped to high nuclear polarization levels before being used as gaseous contrast agents in the 1.5 Tesla research MR scanner, which is located just across the hallway from the polarizer lab. The lab currently has three operating laser polarizer systems. An IGI-9600 prototype (manufactured by MITI in 1997) capable of producing both hyperpolarized 3He and 129Xe, and two IGI-9600's (manufactured in 2000 and 2001 by Amersham Health) capable of producing hyperpolarized 3He.

polarizer_room2
Partial views of the hyperpolarized gas laboratory

Three calibration stations are available to measure polarization levels in a sample of gas (3He or 129Xe). Each polarizer is able to produce approximately 1.2 liters of hyperpolarized 3He per charge of gas, which sufficient for 4-5 patients studies per day. The MITI system also produces almost unlimited amounts of 129Xe. There is also development work in progress, led by Gordon Cates PhD, a UVA professor of Physics and Radiology, to significantly increase the polarization levels, which are currently at 30-40%. The Center has also several RF coils tuned to the 3He (48MHz) and 129Xe (17.5MHz) frequencies. For human subjects there are two 3He vest coils, and two 3He and one 129Xe wrap coils all manufactured by IGC-Medical Advances. Also included in the inventory are the following specialty coils, used mainly for animal studies: a dual tuned (129Xe/1H) head coil manufactured by USA Instruments, one small 3He (5" diameter) and one small (2.5" diameter) custom made 129Xe coil.

Partial view of the student's suite

The graduate students from the four different MR groups share a spacious suite where each one has a modern laptop or personal computer on their own desk.

View of the patient room

For human studies there is a 120ft2 patient evaluation room equipped with a dialysis chair; two EKG monitors, one treadmill, one centrifuge, and one spirometry machine.