Magnetic resonance imaging of cancer metabolism with hyperpolarized 13C-labeled cell metabolites

Hyperpolarization of 13C-labeled substrates can increase their 13C NMR signal by more than 10 000-fold, which has allowed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of metabolic reactions in vivo. This has already provided a unique insight into the dysregulated metabolic pathways and microenvironment of tumors. Perhaps the best known of the cancer-associated metabolic aberrations is the Warburg effect, which has been imaged in patients using...