Hyperpolarized 13C MRI

Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center highlight new methods to better image cancer in the kidney, brain, and pancreas.

In 2003, the Center for Molecular and Functional Imaging (CMFI) at China Basin Landing opened its doors with San Francisco’s first 3T MRI and two 1.5T clinical scanners, followed a few years later by a cyclotron which launched our in-house radiopharmaceutical program. Since then, the CMFI has been at the forefront of 3T research and major advances in theranostics and precision medicine. 

The National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) awards diversity supplements to increase diversity in the research.

During the Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Novel Imaging Methods Conference Showcasing Hyperpolarized C-13, Midfield, and Information Commons, the Center for Intelligent Imaging (ci2) and the Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center hosted collaborators from Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel. This event is the final event of the annual commemoration of ci2’s third anniversary.  

A team, including researchers from the UC San Francisco Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, investigated a new imaging tool for monitoring response to therapies in patients with glioblastoma (GBM).

2023 Workshop HMTRC celebrated its 11^th year as a center, and its annual Workshop continues to have a national and global impact on advancing hyperpolarized carbon-13  MR molecular imaging technology.

With funding from the National Institutes for Health, the HMTRC develops and disseminates hyperpolarized (HP) 13C MR techniques and instrumentation, specialized data acquisition methodology, and analysis software for biomedical research. Hyperpolarized 13C MRI is an emerging molecular imaging technique that provides unprecedented tissue metabolic information. Established in 2011, the HMTRC is the quintessential example of our department's vision of Leading Imaging Innovation to Improve Health, and its strategic pillar of Team Science and Moonshot.

Investigators from the Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center (HMTRC) at UCSF set out to study whether hyperpolarized (HP) pyruvate MRI can a) detect cancer based on its metabolic reprogramming and b) whether it can assess tumor aggressiveness. 

A recap of the 2022 Hyperpolarized Carbon-13 MRI Technology Development Workshop hosted by the NIH-funded UCSF Hyperpolarized MRI Technology Resource Center (HMTRC) which took place at Genentech Hall, UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay on March 17 and 18, 2022.

March is National Kidney Month, a time to raise awareness and focus on research and building paths for better kidney care. Here at UCSF Radiology, we’d also like to highlight innovative research that will clinically translate to better kidney care.