Clifford Bowers
University of Florida, FL·Chemistry
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the technique behind MRI scanners, has one major weakness: low sensitivity. Hyperpolarization is a way around this.
- Fields
Chemistry
Physics
Biomedical Engineering
- Topics
NMR spectroscopy
nuclear magnetic resonance
hyperpolarization
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2029
What they work on
- Build a continuous-flow parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) system that adds hydrogen to carbon-13-labeled precursor molecules to make hyperpolarized biomolecules on demand.
- Optimize transfer of spin order into hyperpolarized carbon-13 signals, using density-matrix simulations of nuclear spin behavior to choose efficient operating conditions.
- Compare dissolved catalysts with separable solid catalysts, such as metal complexes held in metal-organic frameworks and silica-wrapped intermetallic nanoparticles, for continuous hydrogenation.
- Develop rapid membrane-based extraction of hyperpolarized products into water, and limit signal loss so the system can run at steady state for extended imaging.
More about the research
It pushes the nuclear spins (tiny magnetic orientations of atomic nuclei) far out of their normal balance, which boosts the signal many times over. Most current methods make hyperpolarized molecules in single batches, and the signal fades quickly. This project, part of a collaborative instrument-development grant, will build a platform that makes hyperpolarized biomolecules continuously and on demand. This could allow longer, more sensitive spectroscopy and imaging.
Why it matters
Hyperpolarized metabolic MRI can show how tissues use nutrients, but batch production limits how long and how widely it can be used. A continuous-flow source of hyperpolarized molecules could help detect and monitor diseases with altered metabolism, such as cancer, earlier. It could also support fast biochemical analysis and real-time tracking of cell processes in biotechnology and industry.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Wenyu Huang
Iowa State University, IA·Chemistry
Build a continuous-flow parahydrogen-induced polarization platform that links hydrogenation of carbon-13-labeled precursors, spin-order transfer to create hyperpolarized carbon-13 signals, and membrane-based extraction into water.
Claudia Avalos
New York University, NY·Chemistry·Early-career
Determine how the structure of chromophore-radical dyads, molecules pairing a light absorber with an unpaired-electron unit, controls the mechanism by which light polarizes the radical's spin, using combined computational and experimental studies.
Virginia Montiel-Palma
Mississippi State University, MS·Chemistry·Early-career
Design heterobimetallic complexes combining a late transition metal with a group-13 metal that bind nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds and cleave their carbon–nitrogen bonds at low hydrogen pressure.
The school
University of Florida: 65 labs on PI Pages, $1.3B a year on research, 795 research doctorates a year.
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