Hyperpolarized Xenon-129 Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy of Brown Fat: Healthy Adult Volunteer Pilot Study

Phase 1 Study: Detection of Brown Adipose Tissue in Normal Volunteers Using a 3 Tesla (3T) Magnetic Resonance Imaging System and Hyperpolarized (HP) Xenon Gas

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of detecting Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) in healthy subjects by using hyperpolarized xenon gas MRI.

In this pilot study, MRI of BAT of healthy adult volunteers will be performed at 3 Tesla to assess image quality using a prototype surface coil and pulse sequence following inhalation of hyperpolarized 129Xe (xenon) gas at thermoneutrality and under mild cold condition.

The investigators are testing the abilities of xenon MRI to see brown adipose tissue and detect its thermogenic activity.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Xenon

Detailed Description

In the fight against obesity, brown adipose tissue (BAT) is considered to be the newest target. The hypothesis is that this tissue is partially responsible for the imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure that keeps lean people lean and obese people obese.

As the detection of this tissue in adult humans is difficult, this study aim to evaluate the use of hyperpolarized xenon gas MRI for the detection of this tissue.

Hyperpolarized xenon gas MRI is currently used for lung ventilation studies. For this study subjects will undergo an MRI scan for which they will also inhaled hyperpolarized xenon. Scans will be done before and during stimulation of thermogenic activity by cold exposure, while MR images and spectra will be acquired from the supraclavicular area. We expect that the inhaled gas will diffuse into blood and eventually reach BAT in a manner proportional to the metabolic activity of this tissue.

Objectives of this studies are:

• To detect BAT volume using hyperpolarized xenon MRI
• To detect BAT thermogenic activity by hyperpolarized xenon Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 17
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599-7513
      • Biomedical Research Imaging Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ability to give informed consent
• Willing to participate in this study
• Male or female ≥ 18 years of age at the time of the interview.
• Subject has no diagnosed pulmonary condition
• Subject has not smoked in the previous 5 years
• Smoking history, if any, is less than or equal to 5 pack-years
• Written informed consent (and assent when applicable) obtained from subject or subject's
• legal representative and ability for subject to comply with the requirements of the study
• Healthy subject that may or may not have undergone an fluorodeoxyglucose -Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any contraindication to MRI (presence of any non-removable metal implant, stents, pacemaker, clips, staples, or piercings, etc. )
• Subject does not fit in the magnet
• Pregnancy or breast feeding
• Severe claustrophobia
• Subject is less than 18 years old
• MRI is contraindicated based on responses to MRI screening questionnaire
• Subject is pregnant or lactating
• Respiratory illness of a bacterial or viral etiology within 15 days of MRI
• Subject has received an investigational medicinal product (not including 129Xe) within 30 days of MRI
• Subject has any form of known cardiovascular disease
• Subject cannot hold their breath for 15 seconds
• Subject deemed unlikely to be able to comply with instructions during imaging
• Subject is taking beta blockers
• Subject underwent an fluorodeoxyglucose-PET examination less than one week before the HP xenon MRI scan

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Xenon inhalation; Inhalation up to 5 doses of 750ml of hyperpolarized 129Xe gas	Drug: Xenon; Inhalation of hyperpolarized xenon gas; Other Names: Hyperpolarized xenon gas

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Brow Adipose Tissue Surface Area	For each subject, the brown adipose tissue (BAT) surface area is derived from 2D MR images acquired without slice selection, obtained before and during cold exposure. Each image consists of Nx × Ny pixels, each having an in-plane pixel area (Apixel, in millimeters squared) calculated as: Apixel=(FOVx/Nx)×(FOVy/Ny), where FOVx and FOXy are the field-of-view dimensions in millimeters in the x and y directions, respectively. BAT-positive pixels are defined as those whose signal intensity increases by more than 5% during cold stimulation relative to baseline. The total BAT surface area (ABAT, in millimeters squared) is then computed as: ABAT=NBAT×Apixel where NBAT is the number of BAT-positive pixels for each subject. This approach yields the total in-plane area of activated BAT within the 2D field of view for each subject. The value obtained for all subjects was then averaged.	Day 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in BAT Temperature	Change in BAT temperature (in degree Celsius) will be estimated from xenon nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra acquired at thermoneutrality and during cold exposure. Both proton (1H) and xenon (129Xe) spectra are required to perform the temperature calculation.	Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Collaborators: North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Rosa Tamara Branca, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Branca RT, He T, Zhang L, Floyd CS, Freeman M, White C, Burant A. Detection of brown adipose tissue and thermogenic activity in mice by hyperpolarized xenon MRI. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Dec 16;111(50):18001-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1403697111. Epub 2014 Dec 1.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 15, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 15, 2014
• First Posted (Estimated): August 19, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 12, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Brown adipose tissue; Hyperpolarized xenon gas MRI
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Overweight; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Obesity; Inorganic Chemicals; Elements; Gases; Noble Gases; Xenon
• Other Study ID Numbers: 14-1211

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No