Start of funding 01.01.2011

Increasing efficiency and robustness of in-vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging

Prof. Dr. Steffen J. Glaser
Technische Universität München

Prof. Daniel Spielman
Stanford University
Department of Radiology - Lucas Center



Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) allows non-invasive measurement of metabolite concentrations in live animal models and humans (in vivo). It is used to diagnose and monitor metabolic disorders and tumours. MRSI usually suffers from low sensitivity and long measurement time. Advent of hyperpolarization technique allows us to apply 13C MRSI for in-vivo measurements with a signal enhancement of more than 10,000-fold with no background signal, enabling the real-time detection of metabolism in a short time. However, the strong hyperpolarized signal decays over time and is diminished by the MRSI measurement. Therefore MRSI with hyperpolarized substances requires efficient and optimized hardware and measurement methods. This research cooperation aims at improving the efficiency and robustness of hyperpolarized 13C MRSI methods via numerical optimization of radiofrequency (RF) pulses, a main component of MR measurements.