NVision has deployed its POLARIS quantum-enhanced MRI platform at Hokkaido University to support metabolic imaging research into neurological and systemic disease.

Quantum-enhanced MRI enters Japanese research site

The POLARIS system has been installed at Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, marking NVision’s first deployment in Japan.

The research programme will focus initially on changes in brain metabolism associated with neurological disorders, inflammation, infection and treatment response.

The platform uses hyperpolarization to increase the MRI signal from metabolic molecules, allowing researchers to investigate biochemical activity that may not be visible through conventional structural imaging.

NVision said POLARIS can increase the MRI signal of sugars by more than 10,000-fold through a process known as hyperpolarization.

Sella Brosh, CEO of NVision, said: “We are proud to be building a global community of leading scientists who are applying quantum-enhanced MRI to important questions in medicine and drug development.”

Imaging metabolism in real time

POLARIS uses parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) to produce hyperpolarized metabolic imaging agents in less than three minutes, according to NVision.

The platform combines automated quantum spin control with precursor kits intended to standardise the production of hyperpolarized molecules for imaging research.

Hyperpolarized MRI can allow researchers to measure changes in cellular metabolism in real time, potentially providing information about disease activity and treatment response.

The approach is also being investigated as a tool for pharmaceutical research. Metabolic biomarkers can be studied during preclinical drug development and potentially carried into clinical research, allowing researchers to examine factors including target engagement, treatment response and resistance.

The Hokkaido research programme is led by Shingo Matsumoto, whose laboratory works on parahydrogen-based hyperpolarization, low-field and zero-field magnetic resonance technologies and metabolic imaging.

Matsumoto said: “We are excited to use POLARIS to investigate changes in brain metabolic flux that are closely linked to neuronal activity.”

Research into neurological disease

The Hokkaido team will investigate whether changes in brain metabolism can provide information about disease processes before structural changes become apparent.

The research will examine metabolic changes associated with neurological disorders, inflammation and infection, as well as responses to treatment.

NVision is also using POLARIS at research institutions in Europe, the US and Asia, including the University of Cambridge, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, the Technical University of Munich and Yonsei University.

The company plans to have 20 POLARIS installations operating globally by the end of 2026 and said the network is intended to support the development of standardised imaging workflows and clinical research.