HyperE is organized around developed of a novel parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP) instrument designed to enable breakthrough of PHIP, an emerging magnetic resonance imaging technique (MRI) with the potential for important clinical impact for improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation of cancer. In conjunction with MRI, PHIP amplifies the inherently low magnetic signal enabling molecular imaging in the human body which to date, is impossible with MRI. PHIP enhances MRI through hyperpolarized injectable agents that report about cellular composition and metabolism, critical factors for identification and tracking of cancer tissue. Commercial PHIP equipment to be coupled with MRI is not available at present. So far, exploration of this promising yet complex technology has been limited to a handful hyperpolarization/MRI research experts with the technical skill and facility to construct their own equipment. Multiple published experimentation results prove that our custom-built polarizer prototype has set the benchmark in performance. After implementation of our design enhancement and upgrades plan, HyperE's research polarizer is expected to be superior in functionality, flexibility, affordability, and usability to any other comparable hyperpolarization instrumentation ever documented. Our ultimate goal is to evolve our unique design to deliver a commercially fabricated product for under US $500k for clinical utilization. We envision that our instrument design will not only represent a significant technological research innovation but open up completely new clinical imaging possibilities not available with current medical practice tools. Moreover, this polarizer is expected to propel MRI combined with PHIP to play a major role in cancer detection and treatment control, joining the ranks of PET and CT.
