Project Details
Projekt
Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Clinical Immuno-Oncology (HyperMARIO)
Subject Area
Radiology
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 553592366
Metabolism plays a critical role in oncology, as cancer cells often exhibit distinct metabolic profiles such as increased glycolysis, altered lipid metabolism, and reliance on alternative nutrient sources. Dysregulated tissue metabolism can promote cancer development through systemic physiological changes and influence tumor aggressiveness. For example, liver steatosis, prevalent in developed countries, leads to significant changes in liver function and morphology, ultimately resulting in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Similarly, altered metabolism in the brain and other peripheral organs can contribute to cancer staging, resistance and metastasis, evident in therapy-resistant neuroblastomas and medulloblastomas in children, as well as in solid breast cancers prone to relapse and metastasis, such as breast–brain metastasis. Preclinical and clinical studies provide increasing evidence that metabolic imaging can provide prognostic information for disease stratification and early prediction of treatment response or failure in various cancers and metabolic diseases. However, current techniques for non-invasively measuring metabolism in vivo and providing precise real-time diagnostics with predictive therapeutic value are limited. Hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (HP-MRI) is a unique imaging modality that enables the non-invasive monitoring of metabolic processes in vivo in real time and with exquisite spatial and temporal resolutions. In Germany, only Tübingen and Heidelberg have the capabilities for clinical HP-MRI, but further translation has been hindered by the fact that the only clinical polarizer available so far requires extensive training and lacks reproducibility and throughput efficiency of the polarization process used (Dynamic Nuclear Polarization, DNP). This in turn hinders its widespread adoption in clinical operations. To overcome operational hurdles, we recently initiated a consortium (DKTK "HYPERBOLIC") to start the first clinical trials in Germany using HP [1,2-13C]-pyruvate. However, to fully address the limitations in reproducibility and efficiency inherent to the DNP technique, another hyperpolarization approach is needed. Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization (PHIP) provides such an alternative technology, enabling high-throughput, non-cryogenic operation, thus laying the foundation for reliable HP-MRI clinical translation. We assembled an interdisciplinary team of experts uniquely positioned to establish pioneering clinical research in PHIP-based HP-MRI and immuno-oncology. The proposed work plan pursues four objectives: (1) create innovative MRI technology to exploit complementary capabilities with integration of a clinical PHIP polarizer into Tübingen's unique metabolic-imaging infrastructure; 2) develop and integrate AI-based image reconstruction and multi-parametric data analysis; 3) further clinical translation and 4) explore personalized medicine in Germany through well-motivated clinical research projects.
DFG Programme
Major Instrumentation Initiatives
Major Instrumentation
13C Torso Coil +13C/1H Torso Coil Array
13C/1H Breast Coil Array
hyperpolarizer (incl .Starter-Kit)
13C/1H Breast Coil Array
hyperpolarizer (incl .Starter-Kit)
Applicant Institution
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
