Ultrasonic Spray Injection Reactor for Rapid Preparation of Hyperpolarized Metabolites

Efficiently Generates Hyperpolarized Metabolites Used as Biomarkers in Disease Detection and Monitoring in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

This system uses an ultrasonic spray injection hydrogenation reactor to rapidly prepare hyperpolarized metabolites for sensitivity-enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Using hyperpolarized metabolites in diagnostic imaging can enable the study of metabolic processes by enhancing magnetic resonance imaging signals by over five orders of magnitude. The global diagnostic imaging market should reach $35 billion by 2026. Previous methods to produce hyperpolarized metabolites with less efficient mixing processes resulted in comparatively lower hyperpolarization levels and polarization yields.

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a system that rapidly generates hyperpolarized metabolites in bulk using an ultrasonic spray injection nozzle. Ultrasonic spray injection into parahydrogen gas generates higher rates of hyperpolarization and higher polarization yields than conventional production methods. The ultrasonic spray injection process is essentially isobaric, eliminating the expansion cooling accompanied by large pressure drops that occurs using standard spray injection.

Application

This system achieves efficient and continuous generation of hyperpolarized metabolites for use in sensitivity-enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging

Advantages

• Optimizes hydrogenation of unsaturated precursors with parahydrogen, delivering higher performance than conventional spray-injection systems
• Efficiently mixes liquid reactants and para-enriched hydrogen gas, generating high polarization yields of hyperpolarized metabolites
• Ultrasonic spray injection produces smaller and uniformly sized microdroplets, increasing the reaction rate and reducing spin-lattice relaxation losses in hyperpolarized metabolite production
• Enables utilization of acetate, pyruvate, pyruvate, and other biomolecules, allowing for the detection and treatment monitoring of cancers and other diseases

Technology

This system rapidly generates hyperpolarized metabolites for use in biomedical magnetic resonance imaging. Precursors are injected into a reaction chamber pressurized with para-enriched hydrogen gas through the ultrasonically vibrated nozzle. The nozzle optimizes the formation of small uniform microdroplets, promoting the rate of hydrogenation reactions with para-hydrogenation in the formation of hyperpolarized metabolites.

Related publication: Ferrer, M.-J., Kuker, E., Semenova, E., Gangano, A., Lapak, M., Grenning, A., Dong, V., & Bowers, C. (n.d.). Adiabatic Passage through Level Anticrossings in Systems of Chemically Inequivalent Protons Incorporating Parahydrogen: Theory, Experiment, and Prospective Applications. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 144(45), 20847–20853. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c09000