Collaboration to make diagnostic medical imaging less hazardous using hyperpolarization agents

A collaborative effort by scientists has led to the development of an innovative strategy that can considerably improve the capabilities of medical imaging with safer procedures for the patient.
Medical imaging is a significant part of healthcare today, with imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scanning, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) increasing greatly over the last 20 years. However, continuing problems of image resolution and quality still hinder these techniques because of the nature of living tissue. A solution is hyperpolarization, which involves injecting the patient with substances that can enhance imaging quality by following the distribution and fate of specific molecules in the body but that can be harmful or potentially toxic to the patient.
A team of scientists from Ecole Polytechnique F