Development of hyperpolarization techniques based on dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) for magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging in particular for biomedical applications. My research is focused on three main axes: Methodology in DNP, including DNP-related hardware developments, methods to increase the solid-state and the liquid-state nuclear spin polarization in molecules of interest, the design and implementation of new agents for hyperpolarizing biomolecules, and the conception and test of in vivo and in vitro protocols for biomedical applications. Real-time uptake and metabolism, in particular in vivo studies using 13C- and 15N-labeled hyperpolarized biomolecules. Because metabolic fluxes are most often disrupted in pathological tissues, it is of great interest to be able to probe the biochemical transformations involved in the numerous metabolic reactions taking place in vivo. Molecular Imaging by MR imaging, a recent discipline combining molecular biology and in vivo imaging, aims at differentiating tissues based upon their metabolic and functional activity rather than structural and anatomic characteristics. Molecular imaging will greatly benefit from hyperpolarization techniques and experiments using long-T1 nuclear spins can provide essential information on the biodistribution, the uptake and the local environment of specific molecules.

This research project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant) under grant agreement No 682574 (ASSIMILES): https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/205188_en.html