Patent ID: 8035376
Filing Date: 2011-10-11
Classification: A61K,G01R,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of providing polarized noble gas for NMR or MRI applications, comprising: expelling an unpolarized gas mixture comprising a noble gas to be polarized from a pre-packaged container into a hyperpolarizer having an unpolarized gas receiving port, a control module, a plurality of optical pumping modules each including an optical pumping cell operably associated with the control module; a plurality of dispensing systems, one for each optical pumping module wherein each dispensing system is operably associated with the control module and the its associated optical pumping module to dispense meted volumes of polarized gas from the hyperpolarizer, the optical pumping modules, and the dispensing systems, and a polarized gas dispensing port; directing the expelled unpolarized gas mixture to a selected one of said optical pumping modules; polarizing the noble gas via spin-exchange interactions with an alkali metal in the selected one of the optical pumping cell of the hyperpolarizer; heating the noble gas during the polarizing step; cooling the polarized gas after the polarizing step; automatically blending in situ the polarized noble gas with a biocompatible fluid to provide a pharmaceutical grade polarized noble gas product suitable for in vivo administration to a subject; dispensing the polarized noble gas product through the fluid dispensing system associated with the selected optical pumping module into a patient delivery container; and measuring the polarization level of the noble gas; wherein the measuring step is carried out so as to obtain a reading after the cooling step, and wherein the blending step is a based on the polarization level of the polarized gas after the cooling step.