Use of non-labeled sugars and detection by MRI for assessing tissue perfusion and metabolism

1. A method for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging or spectroscopy on a MR scanner to detect tissue physiological parameters in one or more tissue areas in a human or non-human subject, comprising:

administering to said subject a contrast enhancing physiologically tolerable amount of a sugar that is non-labeled;

subjecting said subject to an MR procedure capable of generating MR signals encoding at least one tissue area in said subject in which said sugar either passes or is taken up;

detecting a temporal variation in said MR signals in said at least one tissue area after said administering said sugar, wherein said sugar is at least one of a synthetic or naturally occurring sugar, including D-glucose or L-glucose, its polymers or any other biocompatible sugar containing one or more hydroxyl groups or other exchangeable groups and their isomers;

determining at least one tissue-related parameter from said temporal variation; and

ascertaining whether said at least one tissue-related parameter is abnormal.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one tissue-related parameter comprises at least one of a sugar uptake, a sugar metabolism or pass-through speed, a perfusion parameter, a blood volume, a pH, or a permeability parameter.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein said abnormality comprises at least one of a cancer, a vascular disease, an ischemia, a tissue degeneration, a tissue inflammation, or an infection.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one tissue area comprises one of a brain, an esophagus, a breast, a pancreas, a small intestine, a colon, a lung, a rectum, a liver, a kidney, a prostate, a uterus, a testicle, a muscle, a joint, a spine, or a bone.

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said administering comprises an intravenous administration of a sugar solution.

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein said intravenous administration employs a bolus, an infusion of controllable adjustable rate, or combinations thereof.

7. A method according to claim 5 , wherein said intravenous administration is through an external device or an embedded applicator.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said administering comprises an oral administration of ingestible sugar.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said MR procedure is adapted to detect proton exchange transfer in said at least one tissue area of said subject caused by said administering of said sugar.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein said MR procedure comprises a MR imaging (MRI) or MR spectroscopy (MRS) technique capable of:

providing a selective saturation or a frequency labeling of one or more exchangeable groups of a sugar molecule; and

subsequently detecting water MR signals corresponding to said at least one of said exchangeable groups.

11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the water MR signals are recorded with stock MRI or MRS sequences available on a MR scanner.

12. A method according to claim 10 , wherein all of said exchangeable groups are utilized to enhance a detection sensitivity metric.

13. A method according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of said exchangeable groups is utilized to sensitize said estimating one of said tissue-related parameters.

14. A method according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of said exchangeable groups is utilized to enhance said detecting of said temporal variation in MR signals.

15. A method according to claim 9 , wherein said MR procedure comprises a MR imaging (MRI) or MR spectroscopy (MRS) technique capable of

measuring changes in water MR signal based on a changed water relaxation rate caused by said sugar having said one or more exchangeable groups.

16. A method of claim 1 , wherein said physiological parameters comprise at least one of a steady state metric or a dynamic metric.

17. A method of claim 1 , wherein said ascertaining comprises a pharmacokinetics analysis to ascertain said tissue-related parameter.

18. A method of claim 17 , wherein said determining further comprises measuring said subject's blood glucose level to form a blood input function and incorporating said input function into said pharmacokinetics analysis.

19. A method of claim 1 , wherein said ascertaining comprises a pharmacokinetics analysis.

20. A method of claim 19 , further comprising incorporating an input function into said pharmacokinetics analysis.