Highly sensitive detection of in vivo H2O using DNP-MRI

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K16696
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 52040:Radiological sciences-related
• Research Institution: Gifu University
• Principal Investigator: Nozomi Mizuno (高木希) 岐阜大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 特任助教 (10509798)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: DNP / 高感度 / 水 / 腹膜播種

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to develop the highly sensitive detection of H2O in the abdominal cavity with a free radical molecule and deuterium oxide (D2O) contrast agent using in vivo dynamic nuclear polarization-MRI (DNP-MRI). Phantom imaging experiments demonstrated a linear relationship between H2O volume and image intensity. To demonstrate the utility of this method for disease, malignant ascites in peritoneal metastasis animal model was selected as one of the typical examples. The image intensity with increasing malignant ascites in SUIT-2 bearing mice was significantly increased at days 7, 16, and 21. This increase corresponded to in vivo tumor progression, as measured by bioluminescent imaging. These results suggest that H2O signal enhancement in DNP-MRI using radical-D2O contrast could be a useful biomarker for malignant ascites with cancer metastasis.

Free Research Field

放射線医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本技術は生体内の水の動態を超高感度に検出する技術を構築し、それを腹膜播種モデルにおける腹水の高感度検出に応用した研究である。
本技術により癌の腹膜転移における腹水の変化を高感度に検出することで、癌転移を早期に検出（早期診断）し、転移の予測に応用することが期待される。