Diagnostic lung imaging has witnessed significant advancements, though the lungs still remain one of the most challenging organs for functional imaging. Current diagnostic tools like scintigraphy and CT scans display some of the upper airway structure but have limitations and risks that can hamper repeated diagnostic and therapeutic use for patients and administrators. Current modalities often fall short of visualizing the functional network of over 300 million alveoli, a vital requirement for a better understanding of lung functioning and regional ventilation efficiency. Now, a breakthrough MRI system with integrated Xenon capabilities for enhanced ventilation imaging can provide pulmonologists, surgeons, and respiratory specialists with regional ventilation maps of patients' lungs, aiding in better disease management.

Philips (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) has entered into a collaboration with Polarean Imaging (Durham, NC, USA) to advance the field of hyperpolarized Xenon MRI for patients suffering from respiratory illness. The Philips’ 3T MR 7700 system, equipped with fully integrated multi-nuclei imaging, incorporates Polarean’s XENOVIEW hyperpolarized Xenon contrast agent. XENOVIEW offers pulmonary medicine the opportunity to use the first and only inhaled MRI hyperpolarized contrast agent for unique lung ventilation visualization, without exposing patients to ionizing radiation and related risks. By integrating XENOVIEW with the Philips MR 7700 multi-nuclei MRI scanner, clinicians might be able to observe a patient's lungs in greater detail, while also accurately measuring lung ventilation. For patients with pulmonary disease, this could pave the way for early diagnosis and intervention in serious obstructive lung diseases.

In principle, any atomic element with a significant degree of magnetic polarization can be detected in an MRI scanner. However, the generated MR signal in most cases, like Xenon nuclei, is considerably small compared to the hydrogen nuclei that conventional MRI scans image. The combined expertise of Polarean in hyperpolarization physics and Philips in MR image capture and reconstruction offers a cutting-edge solution for acquiring detailed lung images. By harnessing unique capabilities in hyperpolarization physics, Polarean has devised a practical method of transferring the energy from a circularly polarized laser beam to Xenon nuclei in order to generate hyperpolarized Xenon gas, amplifying its MR signal by 10,000 times. Compared to traditional CT scans that can only image the initial few branches of a patient's airway, Xenon traces the same path as oxygen down to the small airways, visualizing gas distribution. For patients with pulmonary conditions such as COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, assessing lung ventilation could enable the detection of early or mild disease and aid therapy monitoring.

“With the MR 7700, we have seamlessly integrated multi-nuclei MR imaging into everyday workflows, making multi-nuclei studies of six different nuclei across all anatomies as simple as dragging and dropping the selected protocol onto an exam card,” said Ruud Zwerink, General Manager of Magnetic Resonance and Digital X-Ray at Philips. “Our collaboration with Polarean to bring hyperpolarized Xenon imaging into the equation is a major breakthrough in improving the diagnosis and management of respiratory disease.”

“Having attained FDA approval for the first and only hyperpolarized MR contrast agent with the launch of XENOVIEW at the beginning of 2023, we are excited to enter this agreement with Philips. Its strategic focus on patient and workflow centric multi-nuclei imaging in its 3T system provides a uniquely capable platform for clinicians to extend their assessment of lung ventilation,” said Richard Hullihen, CEO of Polarean. “By deploying this novel technology to visualize otherwise unobtainable clinical information using MRI technology, MR imaging can now be expanded into pulmonary medicine, providing a quantitative tool to help clinicians and the patients they treat.” 

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