The Xe MRI Clinical Trials Consortium (Xe MRI CTC) was established in 2015 and now consists of 14 Clinical Research Centers with established 129Xe in-vivo MRI capabilities and independent INDs (or equivalent) within North America and Europe. These sites are in Cincinnati, OH, Columbia, MO, Charlottesville, VA, Durham, NC, Hamilton, ON, Iowa City, IA, Kansas City, KS, London, ON, Madison, WI, Sheffield, UK, Toronto, ON, Vancouver, BC, Hanover, Germany, and Aarhus, Denmark.

Consortium Overview

Purpose of the Consortium

The purpose of this cooperative research consortium is to facilitate clinical research, education, and awareness of the capabilities of Xe MRI through support for:

  1. Collaborative clinical research in both adult and pediatric lung diseases, including longitudinal studies of individuals with lung disease, cross sectional clinical studies, phase one, two, and three trials, and/or pilot and demonstration projects.

  2. Training of clinical investigators in hyperpolarized gas research.

  3. Providing a test bed for novel approaches and technologies for biomarkers and image guided interventions.

  4. Offering a platform for sharing protocols, MRI sequences, and image analysis algorithms for the associated institutions. 

Each of the individual Clinical Research Centers is comprised of basic and clinical investigators, institutions, CTSAs, and relevant organizations, for the utilization of hyperpolarized gases in translational research.

  • Identification of biomarkers for disease risk

  • Mechanisms for monitoring disease severity/activity

  • Development of image guided interventions

This cooperative program facilitates:

  • Tracking responses to treatment

  • Identification of clinical outcomes

FDA Approval of Hyperpolarized Xe MRI

FDA approved the use of hyperpolarized Xe MRI for the evaluation of lung ventilation in adults and pediatric patients aged 6 years and older. This expands the opportunity for pulmonary medicine to utilize the first and only inhaled MRI hyperpolarized contrast agent for novel visualization of lung ventilation without exposing patients to any ionizing radiation and its associated risks. More than 30 million Americans suffer from a chronic lung disease and there is a significant unmet need for non-invasive diagnostic technology. Furthermore, this imaging technique can provide pulmonologists, surgeons, and other respiratory specialists with regional maps of ventilation in their patients’ lungs to assist them in managing their disease. Read more.