Enhanced preclinical metabolic imaging of hyperpolarized 13C nuclei using a cryogenically-cooled transmit-receive RF coil

Motivation: Hyperpolarization boosts 13C signals by 4-5 orders of magnitude. Cryogenically cooled RF coils can further enhance SNR by reducing noise. Goal(s): Demonstrate increased sensitivity of cryogenically cooled RF coils for detecting mouse brain metabolism and high-resolution kidney pH imaging. Approach: Healthy mice received polarized [1-13C] pyruvate and [1,5-13C2]Z_OMPD, imaged with a cryogenically cooled 13C coil using FID-CSI and 3D-bSSFP. Results: An 5-fold sensitivity increase preclinical hyperpolarized MRI experiments using a cryogenically-cooled RF coil. This enabled high sensitivity detection of CO₂ and bicarbonate in mouse brain and pH distribution in mouse kidney. Impact: Combining hyperpolarized 13C agents with cryogenically cooled RF coils enhances SNR improving the preclinical imaging setup.