Hyperpolarized noble gas production systems with nanocluster suppression, detection and/or filtering and related methods and devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11052161-B2
Application number	US-201816113607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2018
Priority date	Feb 21, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

Systems, methods and related devices used to produce and collect polarized noble gas to inhibit, suppress, detect or filter alkali metal nanoclusters to preserve or increase a polarization level thereof. The systems can include a pre-sat chamber that has an Area Ratio between 20 and 500.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A pre-saturation device for a flow-through spin-exchange hyperpolarizer, comprising:
a pre-saturation member having an internal pre-saturation chamber, wherein the pre-saturation member is sealably attachable to a manifold of a spin-exchange hyperpolarizer upstream of an optical pumping cell, wherein the pre-saturation member has opposing first and second ends, and wherein the pre-saturation member comprises alkali metal held therein that, prior to first use and/or prior to attachment to the manifold, is in an amount of 0.5 grams to 5 grams.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal comprises at least one of Rb, Cs, Na, and K and/or any combination thereof with a cumulative amount, for a new and unused pre-saturation member, being in a range of 1-3 grams.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation member is configured for attachment to the manifold of the hyperpolarizer in a sealed state to inhibit the alkali metal from being exposed to air, and wherein after attachment to the manifold, the pre-saturation chamber defines an open flow-through channel segment of the manifold.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber has an Area Ratio (AR) of between 20 and 500.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the AR is in a range of 20 and 200.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the AR is about 100.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber comprises a silica wick.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation member comprises at least one quick connect and/or valve and releasably engages the manifold.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a flow-through optical pumping cell downstream of, and in fluid communication with, the pre-saturation chamber; and
a gas mixture comprising 129 Xe gas in the optical pumping cell.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the optical pumping cell is sized and configured to generate at least one bolus amount of hyperpolarized 129 Xe gas for inhalation delivery to a patient.

11. The device of claim 10 , further comprising an accumulator in fluid communication with the optical pumping cell and located downstream of the optical pumping cell, wherein the accumulator collects the at least one bolus amount of the hyperpolarized 129 Xe gas.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the accumulator is a cold finger that is configured to collect the at least one bolus amount of hyperpolarized 129 Xe gas at a temperature below its freezing point to thereby provide a frozen at least one bolus amount of hyperpolarized 129 Xe gas product at the accumulator.

13. The device of claim 11 , further comprising a bag that is releasably coupled to the accumulator and that holds the at least one bolus amount of the hyperpolarized 129 Xe gas for inhalation delivery to the patient.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the alkali metal comprises rubidium (Rb) in an amount of 0.5 grams to 5 grams.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber is tubular.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber comprises internal surface features that rise above a floor a distance that is about 0.0001 inches to about 0.25 inches.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber comprises an internal heating element.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the pre-saturation member comprises an external casing and thermal insulating material.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the external casing is metallic and is thinner than the insulating material.

20. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber has a curvilinear shape.

21. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation member has a primary body and the first and second ends of the pre-saturation member reside on opposing longitudinally spaced portions of the primary body and each of the first and second ends has a reduced size relative to the primary body.

22. The device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber has a length of about 25 centimeters.

23. A pre-saturation chamber for a flow-through spin-exchange hyperpolarizer, comprising:
a pre-saturation chamber, wherein the pre-saturation chamber is sealably attachable to a manifold of a spin-exchange hyperpolarizer upstream of an optical pumping cell, wherein the pre-saturation chamber has longitudinally spaced apart and opposing first and second end portions, wherein the pre-saturation chamber has an Area Ratio (AR) of between 20 and 500, and wherein the pre-saturation chamber comprises rubidium in an amount of 0.5 grams to 5 grams prior to first use and/or prior to attachment to the manifold.

24. The pre-saturation chamber of claim 23 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber is configured for attachment to the manifold of the hyperpolarizer in a sealed state to inhibit the rubidium from being exposed to air, and wherein after attachment to the manifold, the pre-saturation chamber defines an open flow-through channel segment of the manifold.

25. The pre-saturation chamber of claim 23 , wherein the first and second end portions each comprise one or more of: (i) metal seals, (ii) valves, and/or (iii) threaded attachment segments for sealably and releasably attaching to a pressurized fluid flow manifold as the manifold of the hyperpolarizer.

26. The pre-saturation chamber of claim 23 , wherein the pre-saturation chamber has a length of about 25 centimeters, and wherein the pre-saturation chamber comprises internal surface features that rise above a floor a distance that is about 0.0001 inches to about 0.25 inches.

27. A pre-saturation device for a flow-through spin-exchange hyperpolarizer, comprising:
a pre-saturation member having an internal pre-saturation chamber, wherein the pre-saturation member is sealably attachable to a manifold of a spin-exchange hyperpolarizer upstream of an optical pumping cell, wherein the pre-saturation member has opposing first and second ends, and wherein the pre-saturation member comprises alkali metal, prior to first use and/or prior to attachment to the manifold, in an amount of 0.5 grams to 5 grams,
wherein the first and second ends of the pre-saturation member are longitudinally spaced apart and each of the first and second ends comprises, one or more of: (i) metal seals, (ii) valves, and/or (iii) threaded attachment segments for sealably and releasably attaching to a pressurized fluid flow manifold as the manifold of the hyperpolarizer.

Assignees

• Univ Duke

Inventors

• Freeman Matthew S
• Driehuys Bastiaan

Classifications

• A61K49/18 Primary

  characterised by a special physical form, e.g. emulsions, microcapsules, liposomes · CPC title

• C01B23/0036

  Physical processing only · CPC title

• A61K49/106 Primary

  the complex-forming compound being cyclic, e.g. DOTA · CPC title

• G01R33/282

  Means specially adapted for hyperpolarisation or for hyperpolarised contrast agents, e.g. for the generation of hyperpolarised gases using optical pumping cells, for storing hyperpolarised contrast agents or for the determination of the polarisation of a hyperpolarised contrast agent · CPC title

• C01B23/00

  Noble gases; Compounds thereof (liquefying F25J {; noble gases obtained by rectification F25J3/028}) · CPC title