Principles of operation of a DNP prepolarizer coupled to a rodent MRI scanner

A dynamic nuclear polarization prepolarizer was developed and coupled to a 9.4 T rodent magnetic resonance imaging scanner in order to perform in vivo hyperpolarization experiments. In the present paper, emphasis is put on methods and hardware performance rather than on in vivo results obtained with this setup. An overview of the main hardware components is given. The full procedure starting from the sample preparation and solid-state polarization to in vivo infusion is described. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.