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GAMMA-MRI: Towards a Novel Clinical Imaging Modality Using Long-lived Aligned Gamma Emitters
This thesis presents a study of the production and hyperpolarization (HP) of metastable xenon radioisotopes (Xe-129m, Xe-131m, and Xe-133m referred to as mXe) and the investigation of the angular distribution of their γ radiation. The thesis is a collection of three research articles, presented in t...
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Lenguaje: | eng |
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2023
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Acceso en línea: | http://cds.cern.ch/record/2875585 |
Sumario: | This thesis presents a study of the production and hyperpolarization (HP) of metastable xenon radioisotopes (Xe-129m, Xe-131m, and Xe-133m referred to as mXe) and the investigation of the angular distribution of their γ radiation. The thesis is a collection of three research articles, presented in the order that reflects the first steps of the GAMMA-MRI medical imaging modality that is currently under development: production of mXe isomers, their subsequent orientation, and detection of their asymmetric gamma emission: 1. the production of Xe-131m from decay of I-131 in Chapter 3; 2. the production of Xe-129m and Xe-131m via neutron activation with thermal neutrons in Chapter 4; 3. a numerical study of the anisotropic distribution of γ-ray emission from hyperpolarized Xe-129m, Xe-131m, and Xe-133m in Chapter 5. In addition, the production of Xe-131m and Xe-133m at the Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) facility ISOLDE at CERN, is given in Annex A. Finally, the first proof-of-principle experiments devoted to hyperpolarization of Xe-129m,131m and detection of emitted γ radiation are described in Chapter 6. The above-mentioned studies are a part of the GAMMA-MRI research project aiming to develop a new medical imaging modality based on the physics of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Preliminary studies of the technique indicate that it could have benefits over existing conventional imaging techniques if a high enough level of Xe-129m, Xe-131m, and Xe-133m spin polarization can be achieved and maintained long enough to acquire changes in γ-ray angular distribution under rf pulses. The presented thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor at the University of Geneva. The research presented here was conducted at CERN, under the supervision of Professor Magdalena Kowalska and Professor Renaud Blaise Jolivet. The work presented in the thesis was performed within an accepted Letter of Intent and Proposal to the ISOLDE and Neutron Time-of-Flight Committee (no. I-205 and P-598). Research funding was provided by CERN’s Medical Applications Fund, and since 2021 by the EU Research and Innovation Council within grant no. 964644 (GAMMA-MRI). In addition, the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship was provided to KK by the Swiss Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students. Future developments in the scope of the above-mentioned grant will include the fabrication of tailored-to-experiment magnet coils, advancements in the design of the detectors, and further hyperpolarization studies using newly produced samples of mXe. |
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