“The Permanent Magnet Polarizer” Invented by Ultrasensitive Magnetic Resonance Research Group was Awarded the Chinese Patent Award of Excellence

In December 13, the result of ”The 18th Chinese Patent Award” was revealed. “The Permanent Magnet Polarizer” invented by Ultrasensitive Magnetic Resonance Research Group in Wuhan Institute of Physic and Mathematics was awarded the Chinese Patent Award of Excellence.

The Chinese Patent Award is a unique government award for the invention and creation of patents in China, which has been recognized by The World Intellectual Property Organization, and it represents the highest level of self invention in China.

“The Permanent Magnet Polarizer” is used for enhancing the nuclear spin polarization of inert gases. It is one of the key technology in hyperpolarized ₁₂₉Xe MRI of the lung. This patent provides a more than 50000-fold growth for the spin polarization of the inert gas under the same magnetic field, which can enhance the sensitivity dramatically in NMR and MRI. The technology solves the fatal problem that the spin polarization of inert gas cannot reach the standard level. Therefore, it is of great significance to hyperpolarized ₁₂₉Xe MRI system of the lung. This system can not only obtain the microstructure information of the lung, but also visualize and quantify the function about gases exchange in the lung. It is the first time to accomplish hyperpolarized ₁₂₉Xe MRI in the human lung. This accomplishment breaks up the barriers that the lung image cannot be obtained by the conventional MRI. Then it succeeds in “lighting” the human lung, providing a novel method for the research and diagnosis toward the serious diseases in the human lung.

Patent inventor: Xin Zhou, Xianpin Sun, Maili Liu, Chaohui Ye.