Hyperpolarization: Sensitivity Boost in Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging

Hyperpolarization methods are the most emerging techniques in the field of magnetic resonance (MR) researches since they make a contribution to overcoming sensitivity limitation of MR spectroscopy and imaging, leading to new fields of researches, real-time in vivo metabolic/molecular imaging and MR analysis of chemical/biological reactions in non-equilibrium conditions. Make use of enormous signal enrichments, it becomes feasible to investigate various chemical and biochemical systems with low γ nuclei in real-time. This review deals with the theoretical principals of common hyperpolarization methods and their experimental features. In addition, more detailed theories, mechanisms, and applications of dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (D-DNP) are discussed.