Moritz Zaiss

Fast magentization-prepared imaging readouts

For all CEST experiments the magnetization must be prepared by saturation which takes several seconds to build up. Subsequently this magentization state must be read out as quickly as possible before it is lost again. Thus, one major project that forms the basis of all subprojects is the development of fast imaging readouts.

Hand in hand with sequence development , evaluation must be refined; evaluation software is shared on our project webiste www.cest-sources.org.

glucoCEST

We are part of the EU Project GLINT


The promise of the technique is to give a subject a drink of soda with high sugar and see if tumors light up due to their enhanced metabolism. First applications in vivo showed glucoCEST signal enhancmenet in tumor areas, see our .

protein CEST

CEST allows MRI imaging of protein content, conformation and denaturation. All of these might be interesting markers in brain tumors as well as other pathologies, especially in tumors it might overcome the need for contrast agents (see Figure 1). In addition, protein signals have a correlation with pH that is investitgated for use of a pH-weighted imaging.

Figure 1: Comparison of Gadolinium enhanced (left column) and 'Downfield NOE-suppressd amide-CEST effect' in human glioblastoma patients revealed that amide-CEST contrast forms a unique contrast that delineates tumor regions and show remarkable overlap with the gadolinium contrast enhancement.