MR‐Nucleomics: The study of pathological cellular processes with multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging in vivo

Abstract

Clinical medicine has experienced a rapid development in recent decades, during which therapies targeting specific cellular signaling pathways, or specific cell surface receptors, have been increasingly adopted. While these developments in clinical medicine call for improved precision in diagnosis and treatment monitoring, modern medical imaging methods are restricted mainly to anatomical imaging, lagging behind the requirements of precision medicine. Although positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography have been used clinically for studies of metabolism, their applications have been limited by the exposure risk to ionizing radiation, the subsequent limitation in repeated and longitudinal studies, and the incapability in assessing downstream metabolism. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) or spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) are, in theory, capable of assessing molecular activities in vivo, although they are often limited by sensitivity. Here, we review some recent developments in MRS and MRSI of multiple nuclei that have potential as molecular imaging tools in the clinic.

Advances and prospects in deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI): a systematic review of in vivo studies

“…, water, lipids) [ 54 , 70 ]. To address these issues, a hyperpolarized MRI technique has been developed in the past decade [ 14 , 23 , 25 , 59 , 68 , 75 ]. By utilizing the dynamic nuclear polarization technique, the MR signal of certain nuclei, such as 13 C, can be enhanced for more than 10,000 folds [ 26 , 51 ].…”

“…Metabolic imaging is a class of non-invasive techniques that enable in vivo visualization and quantification of metabolic processes such as glucose uptake, glycolysis, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle [1,12,14,15,23,25,54,59,68,75]. It can detect malignant tumors with high sensitivity and specificity by imaging their increased metabolic rates for glucose, amino acids, or lipids; additionally, it offers valuable insights into risk stratification and treatment response evaluation of malignant tumors [1,12,14,15,23,25,54,59,68,75].…”

“…Metabolic imaging is a class of non-invasive techniques that enable in vivo visualization and quantification of metabolic processes such as glucose uptake, glycolysis, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle [1,12,14,15,23,25,54,59,68,75]. It can detect malignant tumors with high sensitivity and specificity by imaging their increased metabolic rates for glucose, amino acids, or lipids; additionally, it offers valuable insights into risk stratification and treatment response evaluation of malignant tumors [1,12,14,15,23,25,54,59,68,75]. So far, many metabolic imaging techniques have emerged, including fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, 1 H-magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ( 1 H-MRSI), chemical shift saturation transfer, hyperpolarized- 13 C-magnetic resonance imaging (hyperpolarized-13 C-MRI), and magnetic resonance (MR)-based deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) [9,14,16,25,30,36,54,58,75].…”

“…However, these techniques can only be applied to observe the steady-state metabolism with complicated peak overlaps between different molecules (e.g., water, lipids) [54,70]. To address these issues, a hyperpolarized MRI technique has been developed in the past decade [14,23,25,59,68,75]. By utilizing the dynamic nuclear polarization technique, the MR signal of certain nuclei, such as 13 C, can be enhanced for more than 10,000 folds [26,51].…”

Editorial: Brain metabolic imaging by magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy: methods and clinical applications

“…On the other hand, the recent progress on artificial intelligence (AI) may shed light on more accurate and faster quantification of MR-based metabolic information, and the use of hyperpolarized MR techniques could dramatically enhance the in vivo sensitivity of the metabolites. Together with other increasingly practiced studies such as CEST and deuterium imaging, the next decade may see an increasing trend of clinical translation of metabolic MRI, particularly with the collective information acquired on a range of different nuclei-the concept of MR Nucleomics (Sun et al, 2023).…”