Abstract
The present invention provides a method of magnetic resonance investigation of a sample, preferably of a human or non-human animal body, said method comprising: (i) nuclear spin polarising a solid MR imaging agent (i.e. a material containing in its molecular structure a non-zero nuclear spin nucleus) by (a) spin refrigeration, or by, (b) irradiating with circularly polarised light; (ii) administering the nuclear spin polarised MR imaging agent to said sample, preferably after dissolution in a physiologically tolerable solvent and also preferably after separation form some or all of the paramagnetic species or chromophores; (iii) exposing said sample to a radiation at a frequency selected to excite nuclear spin transitions in selected nuclei therein, e.g. the spin polarised nuclei of the MR imaging agent; (iv) detecting magnetic resonance signals form said sample; and (v) optionally generating an image, dynamic flow data, diffusion data, perfusion data, physiological data (e.g. pH, pO2, pCO2, temperature or ionic concentrations) or metabolic data from said detected signals.
Original language | English |
---|---|
IPC | G01R 33/ 28 A I |
Patent number | GB2364785 |
Filing date | 06/02/2002 |
Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
Priority date | 17/05/2000 |
Priority number | WO2000GB01888 |
Publication status | Published - 6 Feb 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |