Hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI for Imaging Pulmonary Function

January 14, 2026 updated by: Bastiaan Driehuys

Hyperpolarized 129Xe MR Imaging of the Lung Function in Healthy Volunteers and Subjects With Pulmonary Disease

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the usefulness of MRI using 129Xe gas for regional assessment of pulmonary function. Specifically, three forms of 129Xe MRI contrast will be the investigators focus - 1) imaging of the 129Xe ventilation distribution, 2) imaging the alveolar microstructure via the 129Xe apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and 3) imaging 129Xe that dissolves in the pulmonary blood and tissues upon inhalation. Such imaging of 129Xe gas transfer is expected to be uniquely sensitive to pathologies affecting gas exchange (fibrosis, emphysema, pulmonary hypertension) and provide new insights regarding the normal resting heterogeneity of pulmonary gas exchange.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Non-invasive imaging of pulmonary function is expected to provide critical insights that are needed to spur progress in characterizing and treating chronic pulmonary diseases. The current primary diagnostic measure is pulmonary function testing (PFT), which was introduced in the mid-19th century, yet remains the standard of care today. PFTs have the advantage of being non-invasive and widely available, but suffer from poor sensitivity and high variability. Thus, PFTs are ineffective in assessing therapeutic response or disease progression on reasonable time scales, given the frequent heterogeneity of disease and the lung's compensatory mechanisms.

It has long been appreciated that improving sensitivity requires assessing the lungs regionally. To this end, methods, such as computed tomography (CT), provide insights into lung structure, but lung function must be inferred. However, of greater concern is the high radiation dose associated with CT, which precludes frequent longitudinal follow-up imaging. Alternatively, regional imaging of both ventilation and perfusion is possible using nuclear medicine techniques such as planar scintigraphy, single photon computed tomography (SPECT), or positron emission tomography (PET). However, as with CT imaging, all these modalities expose the subject to ionizing radiation and cannot be applied serially without a compelling clinical need. Moreover, these nuclear imaging modalities suffer from poor spatial and temporal resolution.

The key role for HP 129Xe MRI is that it can enable non-invasive high-resolution imaging of all aspects of pulmonary structure and function. We have recently shown HP 129Xe MRI to visualize pulmonary ventilation with high resolution, as well as the ability to show abnormalities of the alveolar microstructure that are associated with the emphysema phenotype of COPD. We have also demonstrated the fundamentally new capability to directly visualize the uptake of 129Xe into the pulmonary capillary blood and tissues, which can provide an even more complete picture of pulmonary function by supplying regional gas exchange information.

Xenon is a noble gas that is not chemically altered by the body. A small fraction of the inhaled Xe is absorbed into the blood stream and has documented anesthetic effects at moderate concentrations. The levels of gas used in this protocol are within the previously derived safe limits for both animals and humans. The stable isotope 129Xe can be hyperpolarized, which is a means to enhance its gross MRI signal by a factor of ∼100,000. Such signal enhancement makes it possible to image the inhaled gas with high spatial and temporal resolution. Moreover, the properties of 129Xe enable images to be acquired with multiple forms of contrast including ventilation, lung microstructure, and regional gas exchange. Because 129Xe MRI uses no ionizing radiation, and only an inhaled gas contrast agent, it has the potential to be used in longitudinal studies to test the effects of therapy or monitor progression of disease noninvasively.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

445

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
        • Recruiting
        • Duke University Medical Center
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Bastiaan Driehuys, Ph.D
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Joseph Mammarappallil, MD, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Control Subjects

  1. Subject has no diagnosed pulmonary conditions
  2. Subject has not smoked in the previous 5 years.
  3. Smoking history, if any, is less than or equal to 5 pack-years.

Inclusion Criteria for Subjects with lung disease

  1. Subject has a diagnosis of pulmonary dysfunction made by a physician
  2. No acute worsening of pulmonary function in the past 30 days

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Subject is less than 18 years old
  2. MRI is contraindicated based on responses to MRI screening questionaire
  3. Subject is pregnant or lactating
  4. Respiratory illness of a bacterial or viral etiology within 30 days of MRI
  5. Subject has received an investigational medicinal product (not including 129Xe) within 30 days of MRI
  6. Subject has any form of known cardiac arrhythmia
  7. Subject does not fit into 129Xe vest coil used for MRI
  8. Subject cannot hold his/her breath for 15 seconds
  9. Subject deemed unlikely to be able to comply with instructions during imaging

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants with Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability
Time Frame: Day 2
The purpose of this trial is to examine the ability of HP 129Xe imaging to characterize the lung in healthy and diseased states. The safety endpoint for each subject is to record any adverse events as a measure of safety and tolerability. The technical endpoint for each subject is the acquisition of technically adequate HP 129Xe MR images.
Day 2

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bastiaan Driehuys

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Joseph Mammarappallil, M.D., Duke University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 9, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 20, 2011

First Posted (Estimated)

January 21, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

January 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 14, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Pro00025110

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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