REINERI LAB
Hyperpolarization - ParaHydrogen - Metabolism

Hyperpolarization by means of parahydrogen of biologically relevant substrates is the main focus of the research group. The parahydrogen based hyperpolarization requires the development of tailored precursors of the target agent and the optimization of a suitable hyperpolarization procedure, in order to obtain hyperpolarized molecules that can be used in vivo for diagnostic purposes. In the last years, a procedure named PHIP-SAH (ParaHydrogen Induced Polarization -Side Arm Hydrogenation) has been invented by our group, which allows to generate hyperpolarized metabolites through a steps sequence (i.e. parahydrogenation reaction, polarization transfer, hydrolysis) each of which is investigated in order to optimize the procedure. The research focuses also on the development of new derivatives of biologically relevant molecules, suitable for parahydrogen hyperpolarization. Finally, the hyperpolarized products are used for in vitro and in vivo studies of different pathologies.