PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Radiation Oncology
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1693853
This article is part of the Research TopicMetabolism at the Crossroads of DNA Repair, Immune Response, and Tumor Microenvironment in RadiotherapyView all 4 articles
Hyperpolarized MRI theranostics in cancer
Provisionally accepted
- Institute for Quantum Life Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
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Hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a transformative tool in cancer diagnostics, enabling real-time, non-invasive assessment of tumor metabolism. By employing hyperpolarized molecular probes, such as [1-13C]pyruvate, energy metabolism and metabolic changes associated with malignancy in tumors can be visualized, providing key insights into tumor aggressiveness, heterogeneity, and treatment response. In addition to their preclinical and clinical applications in cancer diagnostic imaging, some molecular probes can be used as potentiators of cancer therapy. This perspective article explores the potential use of hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) in conjunction with cancer treatment. Notably, the direct application of hyperpolarized molecular probes immediately after imaging to enhance DNA-targeting cancer therapies, including chemotherapeutic drugs and radiotherapy, is termed "hyperpolarized MRI theranostics in cancer." In this novel approach, metabolic and physiological intratumoral changes induced by biomolecular probes are used to enhance the efficacy of subsequent therapeutic interventions. Additionally, future prospects for advancements in oncology enabled by hyperpolarized MRI are discussed.
Keywords: Hyperpolarized MRI, theranostics, Cancer, Metabolism, Radiotherapy
Received: 27 Aug 2025; Accepted: 22 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yamashita, Zhao, Saito and Takakusagi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yoichi Takakusagi, tkksg@rs.noda.tus.ac.jp
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