Hyperpolarized singlet NMR on a small animal imaging system

Nuclear spin hyperpolarization makes a significant advance toward overcoming the sensitivity limitations of in vivo magnetic resonance imaging, particularly in the case of low-gamma nuclei. The sensitivity may be improved further by storing the hyperpolarization in slowly relaxing singlet populations of spin- 1/2 pairs.

Here, we report hyperpolarized 13C spin order transferred into and retrieved from singlet spin order using a small animal magnetic resonance imaging scanner. For spins in sites with very similar chemical shifts, singlet spin order is sustained in high magnetic field without requiring strong radiofrequency irradiation.

The demonstration of robust singlet-to-magnetization conversion, and vice versa, on a small animal scanner, is promising for future in vivo and clinical deployments.