Dynamic nuclear polarisation: The future of imaging in oncology?

Abstract As clinical oncology evolves with new treatment options becoming available, there is an increasing demand on anatomic imaging for the assessment of patients at different stages. Imaging with hyperpolarized 13 C-labelled cell substrates has the potential to become a powerful tool in many steps of clinical evaluation, offering a new metabolic metric and therefore a more personalised approach to treatment response. This articles explores the metabolic basis and potential for translation of hyperpolarised pyruvate as a dynamic nuclear polarisation probe in clinical oncology.