Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopic Imaging of pH

In situ MR imaging and spectroscopy method to detect the effect of pH and/or protein content changes on the intensity of the water signal in MRI. This is done by selectively irradiating and saturating the broad amide proton resonance of the endogenous mobile proteins centered around 8.3 ppm in the proton NMR spectrum and by recording the subsequent transfer of this saturation to the water protons. The effect is dependent on pH, because the amide exchange process is pH dependent. In addition, the signal will depend on the endogenous mobile protein concentration. Spatial information can be obtained by combining this approach with any water imaging (MRI) approach and any spectroscopic imaging methodology (one-dimensional and/or multi-directional phase encoding with pulsed field gradients). Description (Set) Proposed Use (Set) At present, there are no methodologies to noninvasively image pH with MRI of water without the use of contrast agents. The pH is an extremely important indicator of cellular physiology & oxygen metabolism and changes drastically during insults such as ischemia, trauma, etc, and is different from normal cells in tumors. A method to image pH using endogenous contrast could solve dilemmas in acute stroke treatment, where decisions for treatment need to be based on flow levels in the ischemic penumbra, for which presently no detailed standards are available. Another potential benefit will be for imaging cardiac ischemia before fatal changes occur. Mobile cellular proteins are some of the building blocks of the cells. The cellular content of these endogenous proteins changes dramatically during ischemia, and in cancer and many other pathologies Patent (Set) 6,943,033; WO 03/050521

Patents:
US 6,943,033

Inventor(s): Van Zijl, Peter

Type of Offer: Licensing



« More Diagnostic Patents

---